Heartless thief stole €40,000 from his grieving aunt

A 24-year-old burglar ransacked his aunt’s home, stealing over €40,000 worth of her jewellery and other items while she was attending the funeral of her sister, who had died suddenly.

Cian Cantwell, with addresses at Nun’s Island and 9 Ard na Gaoithe, Upper Clybaun Road, Knocknacarra, pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in March to entering a house in Monalee Heights, Knocknacarra, as a trespasser between October 10 and 11, 2013, with intent to commit theft.

Sentence was adjourned to last week for the preparation of reports. Garda John Horkan told the sentence hearing one of Cantwell’s aunts died suddenly and Cantwell knew his other aunt and her husband would be away attending the funeral.

He broke a kitchen window to gain entry to the house, which he then ransacked, stealing his aunt’s jewellery, two televisions, a safe, a video, laptop and printer. The woman’s husband, who is a retired Garda, read a victim impact statement to the court.

He said his wife suffered from a serious mental illness and this burglary had plunged her into a deep depression, from which she had not recovered.

He said his wife had been very good to her nephew down through the years and she was devastated when she heard he had burgled her home.

Her husband said all of his wife’s jewellery, including her engagement ring, which was of great sentimental value, was taken and never returned.

Special purchases the couple had made during a cruise they had taken together following his retirement, were also stolen and could never be replaced, he said.

He said he knew immediately on entering the house, that the burglar knew exactly where everything was and must be someone they knew.

“In her will, she had left her jewellery to her granddaughter and there’s nothing left now to leave her.

“He just didn’t steal her possessions, but also my wife’s health,” the man said.

Defence barrister, Geri Silke said her client did not intentionally target his aunt’s house and didn’t know whose house he had broken into.

She said he was “off his head” on drugs at the time and when he “came to” and realised what he had done he became very remorseful, went immediately to the Gardai and handed himself in.

“He would not like you to think he targeted his poor aunt.  He has done everything since to rehabilitate himself and is now off all drugs and doing everything he can to stay out of trouble,” Ms Silke said to Judge Rory McCabe.

She asked him to adjourn sentence for a year so that her client could get the treatment he needed.

“He has changed as a human-being as a result of this,” Ms Silke added.

Judge McCabe told Cantwell this was a despicable crime, committed against his own aunt who was grieving the loss of her sister at the time.

“The harm you caused is ongoing and is never likely to be healed.

“This was a callous, thoughtless and wanton crime by the accused who put his own needs before those of others.

“The court cannot accept his expression of remorse is genuine,” Judge McCabe said.

He indicated the crime merited a six-year sentence, with two years taken off for the plea, thus sparing his aunt from having to give evidence at his trial.

That left four years, he said, and as the accused was currently engaged in a process of rehabilitation, he said he would allow him complete that before finalising sentence this time next year.

The degree to which Cantwell engaged with the rehabilitation services in the interim would determine how much of the four-year sentence he would serve next year, the judge said.

“He obviously didn’t tell anybody where the stolen items went or try to get them back. There may be no way of avoiding a custodial sentence, but we will wait the year,” Judge McCabe added.