Prowler leaves city pensioner in state of terror

A pensioner had to barricade herself into her bedroom after her house alarm was activated, indicating that an outside door had been opened, Galway District Court heard.

CCTV footage of the break-in identified Gary Cronin (20), of 14 Droim Chaoin, Bishop O’Donnell Road, who pleaded guilty to the burglary.

Garda Paul McNulty said that the lone female occupant (69) of the house on Maunsells Road was woken up at 3.15am on August 25 last.

“She attempted to knock off the alarm from her bedroom but was unable to do so, as (it stated) an external door was open,” he said.

“She locked herself in her bedroom and Gardaí were called.”

When they arrived, they discovered a room downstairs had been rand-sacked, and €250 cash had been stolen from the woman’s handbag. She located a claw hammer, which had been left outside, in her garden the following day.

“The house was covered by CCTV, and Gary Cronin was identified,” the Garda added.

However, the court heard that when he was shown the footage, he became highly irate.

“He picked up the HP laptop belonging to the State and smashed it against a wall in the interview room – it was no longer fit for use,” Garda McNulty said.

Two days before that burglary, a man had left the bedroom window of his house on St Brendan’s Avenue open as he slept. He was awoken by a small brick being thrown at the glass.

“He looked outside but couldn’t see anyone, so he went to the toilet – when he came back he saw a male leaning-in,” Garda McNulty said.

Cronin stole the man’s iPhone, but the owner managed to trace it by using the ‘Find My iPhone’ app, and it was located under a flowerpot in Forster Court.

Cronin’s fingerprints were lifted from the window, which placed him at the scene.

The previous night, an Audi A3 had been stolen during the burglary of a house in Fort Lorenzo.

Cronin was arrested on suspicion of stealing it and, while he admitted driving it, he would not say how it came into his possession.

The Garda outlined details of Cronin’s 71 previous convictions, most notably for possession of stolen property, for which he received a 10 month suspended sentence from Clonakilty District Court in January 2013.

Judge Mary Fahy was, therefore, prevented from completing the Galway matters until the defendant was returned to that court for possible re-activation of the term.

He was remanded in custody to appear at the next sitting of Bantry District Court.