An international haulier based in Kildare has gone on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with dishonestly appropriating a container of chocolates from Dublin Port in 2003.
Robert Colquhoun (45), McElwain Mews, Newbridge, has pleaded not guilty to appropriating a container at Dublin Port holding a consignment of Cadbury Roses chocolates without the consent of its owners, Norse Merchant Ferries Ltd and Noel Byrne, on November 1st, 2003.
Colm O'Briain, prosecuting, said a ship had arrived from Birkenhead-Liverpool port and docked at Alexander Quay in Dublin Port with a cargo of containers, including container 44, a consignment of Roses chocolates destined for Cadbury's distribution centre.
He said the containers were left in a secure compound in the Norse Merchant Ferries Depot under the care of Mr Byrne.
After 10pm a tractor unit, the front part of a juggernaut, entered the compound and stopped briefly at the offices before hitching up container 44.
Mr O'Briain said the truck and container travelled down to the Shell garage on the East Wall Road where it stopped for a period, then continued on to the North Wall Quay. There two men, one of whom was Mr Colquhoun, were arrested at the rear of the truck after it stopped again.
He said a consignment release form, which entitles a driver to take a consignment, was found crumpled up near Mr Colquhoun's feet with handwritten entries that were wrong and incomplete.
Mr O'Briain said Mr Colquhoun maintained he did not know that he had no permission to take the container, but neither Norse Merchant Ferries nor Mr Byrne had given permission for the trailer to be removed.
The trial continues before Judge Joseph Matthews and a jury.