Armed teen burglar (16) gets prison term reprieve

A 16-year-old boy has been given a suspended four-year sentence after being caught red-handed breaking into a house with another burglar while armed with a hunting knife and a hatchet.

The teenager, who was in the care of the HSE at the time of the offences, was brought before Galway Circuit Criminal Court for sentence.

Both he and his co-accused, Dominic Downes (21), 3 Doire Beag, Knocknacarra, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at a house in Hazel Park, Newcastle, on September 24 last year in that they trespassed at the house with intent to commit theft, and at the time had with them a large hunting knife and a hatchet.

The pair also pleaded guilty to the theft of a Stanley Wonder Bar and a Stanley Axe, total value €60, from Woodie’s DIY, Galway Retail Park on September 23 last year.

Judge Rory McCabe adjourned sentence in Downes’ case to July and directed the preparation of a victim impact statement and a probation report on Downes prior to that date.

Garda Conor Barrett told the juvenile’s sentence hearing that he and other Gardai from Galway and Salthill Stations responded to a 999 call of a burglary in progress at a man’s home in Hazel Park at 1.55am on September 24 last year.

He and Garda Robert Molloy climbed into the garden at the rear of the property where they spotted the juvenile coming out through a rear window while Downes had an implement in his hand.

The pair ran and were chased by Garda Barrett and his colleague over a number of garden walls. The youth dropped a bag containing property stolen from the house.

Both were caught and arrested.  Downes was found in possession of the large hunting knife.

Both Gardaí went back to the house where they met with the man who had made the 999 call.

He was in his underpants and was holding a kitchen knife.  He was in shock and was visibly shaking.

A hatchet, left behind by the burglars, was located under the window in the man’s bedroom.

CCTV from Woodie’s captured the two accused entering the store the day before and stealing a hatchet and a jimmy bar, which were both used in the burglary.

Garda Barrett read the man’s victim impact statement into evidence. The man said he had been woken around 2am by tapping on his bedroom window.  He realised someone was trying to open the window from the outside and he ran to the kitchen to find something with which to defend himself.

He ran upstairs and crouched down on the landing while at the same time dialling the emergency services for help.

He could hear voices in his bedroom downstairs while he was talking to the operator on his phone.  He hid behind the bannisters and luckily, he said, the Gardaí arrived very quickly.

He suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had to take two weeks off work. He had nightmares for weeks and could not be on his own in the house. He moved house and said he had suffered a huge financial loss.

Garda Barrett said the juvenile had four previous convictions for robbery, theft, assault and breaching the peace and had served a five- month period of detention last year for those.

Judge Rory McCabe said the teenager was entitled to credit for his early plea, his co-operation with Gardai and for the fact he was not the principal motivator in the crime.

He accepted the youth had taken “significant steps” to change his life around while in custody. “If he has to have any chance of leaving his past behind him, it’s obvious he needs to be trained and educated to enter the workforce and live a life without crime, drink and drugs,” Judge McCabe said.

He then said the appropriate sentence was four years, suspended for six years on condition the youth be of good behaviour for that period.  He also placed the youth under the supervision of the probation service for the next 24 months.