Addict burglar threatens to cut children’s throats

A heroin-addicted burglar threatened to cut a man’s throat after he was caught red-handed trying to rob the man’s business premises in Liosban Industrial Estate.

Patrick ‘Pa’ Sweeney (27), of 173 Castlepark, Ballybane, pleaded guilty to entering John Butler’s Sports Injury Clinic at Unit 7, Kilkerrin Park, Liosban, as a trespasser on February 11 last, but he denied producing a scissors with intent to intimidate or cause serious injury during the course of the burglary on the same occasion.

Mr Butler told Galway District Court that he was treating a client in his clinic at 5.20pm when he noticed a shadow moving around in the reception area.  He knew the receptionist had finished for the day and he could see the shadow go in behind the reception desk.

He went to check and found Sweeney down on his knees inside reception.

When asked what he was doing there, Sweeney claimed he had come in to get a rub.

He went to run for the door and kept insisting Mr Butler was assaulting him and would not let him leave.

Sweeney eventually went out and Mr Butler said he followed him.  A tussle ensued outside.  Mr Butler said Sweeney fell back against the wall and then pulled a scissors from his belt.

“He took to screaming and roaring and said he would cut my throat and my children’s throats,” Mr Butler said.

Defence solicitor, Louise Gallagher said that when Mr Butler disturbed her client that evening, he had told him to sit down on a chair while he called the Gardai and that he had shouted at someone else to call the Gardai for him.

Mr Butler confirmed he had asked the client in the clinic, who was too afraid, he said, to come out of the room and who had not returned to his premises since, to call the Gardai.

“When I came out he had a scissors left on the counter.  He put it back into the belt on his trousers and he told me he would cut my throat and the throats of everybody I knew. He took his scissors away with him,” Mr Butler explained during cross-examination.

Mr Keith Forde told the court he ran a business next-door to Mr Butler’s.  He said he came out of his premises when he heard roaring and shouting outside.

By the time he came around the side of his van to render assistance to Mr Butler, Sweeney, he said, was cycling away.  He said Sweeney was shouting back that he would come back and get Mr Butler and slit his throat.

Sweeney told the court he was sick from heroin at the time and admitted he had gone into the premises to steal whatever he could to feed his habit.

“I was in fear of my life of this man,” he said, pointing at Mr Butler.

“I went in there to steal whatever I could,” he added.

“Anything that wasn’t nailed down,” Judge Fahy said.

Sweeney denied having a scissors on him.

He said he had to force his way out of the premises and pulled his zip down to get away from Mr Butler.  He said he never carried a weapon in his life and would never carry one.

“I was in his premises to steal but I never threatened him with a scissors,” Sweeney persisted.

Judge Fahy said she believed Mr Butler’s evidence and she convicted Sweeney.

She said he had been before the courts time and time again over the years and his offending was getting more and more serious.

Inspector Derek Gannon said Sweeney had 64 previous convictions and was currently serving an 11-month sentence, for handling stolen property.

Judge Fahy said Sweeney had thought there was no one around when he went in to burgle the premises and then he turned nasty when he was confronted by the owner and issued serious threats.

She sentenced him to six months for the burglary and a further six months for producing the scissors to intimidate Mr Butler, both sentences to run consecutively to each other and to the 11-month sentence Sweeney is currently serving.  Leave to appeal the sentences was granted.