A man accused of stealing thousands of euro worth of goods from retail outlets across three counties has been remanded in custody.
Otar Sarashvili (35), of no fixed abode, appeared at a sitting of Bray District Court charged with 15 counts of theft, one count of giving gardaí a false name and having possession of a false instrument.
Mr Sarashvili was arrested at Dunnes Stores in Newtownmountkennedy, after allegedly trying to shoplift €784 worth of items on August 21.
Prior to this, on August 18, Mr Sarashvili is accused of shoplifting €492 worth of Hennessy whiskey from the same store.
During a search of his vehicle, gardaí allegedly found bottles of supplements, a handbag, an iPhone 13, various items from the retail store Avoca, a BaByliss hair straightener and a leather wallet.
While at Bray Garda Station, Mr Sarashvili allegedly gave Garda Joseph Ahern a false or misleading name.
He is further accused of having a false Latvian passport in the name of ‘Sergejs Tjusevs’ in his possession.
Outside of the jurisdiction, he is facing a further €3,982 worth of theft of items from retail outlets in Meath, Kildare and Dublin.
Sergeant Mick Canavan informed the court that at a previous sitting, the accused provided an address for him to reside in if he was granted bail, but after investigation, the house was found to have been sold in February 2025.
An interpreter for Mr Sarashvili told Judge Mary McAveety that he is currently looking to seek asylum in Ireland, which he cannot do from custody. The judge remanded Mr Sarashvili in custody until late September.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme