Connacht Tribune
80-year-old man dragged burglar out of house
An 80-year-old man confronted a burglar he found coming in through the back window at his home and dragged him through the house before throwing him out the front door.
The man had just returned home after attending evening Mass with his wife and was turning the key in his front door when he heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the rear of his home in Bohermore.
Galway Tom Doyle told Galway Circuit Criminal Court that Cian Cantwell (23), of no fixed abode, had smashed the glass at the rear of the house on September 15 last year and was halfway in through the window when he was caught by the elderly man.
He said the couple were greatly distressed after the incident and had since taken steps to secure their home.
“Despite his age, he was robust enough to deal with the accused,” prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy, said of the elderly man.
Garda Doyle agreed but said that while the man had had “an adrenaline rush” at the time he pulled Cantwell in through the window, he was very distressed and traumatised at what he had done – as was his wife – for a long time after the incident.
Mr Fahy reminded Judge Rory McCabe that apart from these offences, Cantwell was also facing sentence for breaking into and ransacking his aunt’s home and stealing her jewellery, computers and televisions while she was attending her sister’s funeral in October, 2013.
Evidence in that case was heard last May and Judge McCabe had indicated at the time that Cantwell would be facing a six-year sentence with two years suspended for the offence. However, it was decided to adjourn sentence for twelve months after Cantwell expressed an interest in going into a rehabilitation centre.
Garda Doyle told the Circuit Court hearing last week that Cantwell had come from a good home but was estranged from his family due to his chronic drug addiction.
He said he viewed CCTV footage from nearby premises and positively identified Cantwell who was arrested in a city hostel the day after the break-in in Bohermore.
He said the accused was genuinely remorseful when he realised elderly people were affected by his actions.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage and to trespassing at the couple’s home.
Cantwell, who had 17 previous convictions for drug dealing and for a series of thefts, had been in custody since his arrest last September in the hostel.
He went into the witness box and read out a letter of apology which he had written to the elderly couple, to his aunt, her husband and to his own family.
“I want to say I’m sorry. The last seven months in prison have been a wake-up call for me,” he said.
Judge McCabe said the elderly couple in Bohermore had been clearly terrorised that evening by the accused.
He said the headline sentence for the criminal damage charge was six years, while the trespass charge would be taken into account.
Given the mitigating circumstances whereby it was accepted that Cantwell’s remorse was genuine, he had pleaded guilty to the charges and had co-operated with the Garda investigation, the appropriate sentence, he said, was four years.
Following the recommendations of the probation report before the court, Judge McCabe then suspended the final two years of the four-year sentence for five years on condition that on his release Cantwell remain under the supervision of the probation service for two years.
The judge imposed a concurrent four-year sentence with the final two years on Cantwell suspended for the burglary at his aunt’s home.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
