A MAN who ransacked and stole cash, computers and personal items from legal offices including the State prosecutor’s has narrowly escaped jail while his accomplice was given a three year sentence.
25-year-old Cian O’Donnell of Rutland Street and 23-year-old Paul Sheehy of St Munchin’s Terrace, Thomondgate both pleaded guilty to four counst of trespassing at the offices at Roche House, Bank Place in the city on an unknown date between March 15 and 17, 2014.
The office block, just a few hundred yards from Limerick court complex, houses a number a law firm and a number of barristers including the office of the State Prosecutor for Limerick, John O’Sullivan.
On St Patrick’s day in 2014, the ransacking and burglaries came to light when one of the practitioners returned to her office for her mobile phone.
When she got to her office, she noticed that he door had been forced and that several items were missing from inside.
Alerting the gardai, it transpired that the entire office block had been burgled.
Garda Sheila Glavin attended and an immediate investigation was launched.
As there was no evidence of a forced entry from the main office door, Gardai trailed the intruders to a skylight on the roof where two sledge hammers were found.
An adjacent apartment block on Rutland Street could be accessed from the roof and gardai found the majority of the stolen items inside the apartment rented by Cian O’Donnell.
He was later seen by gardai and found in possession of a cufflink, the property of State Prosecutor John o’Sullivan.
All the office doors of the legal practitioners had been smashed and extensive damage and ransacking caused.
The office of the firm of solicitors had been completely ransacked with the majority of the office computers stolen.
Some €12,000 worth of damage had been caused to the office and the same amount again had to be spent on IT as a result.
During the sentencing hearing at Limerick Circuit Court, Judge Tom O’Donnell noted the evidence that the law practice was discommoded for some six weeks afterwards and that their insurance firm did not pay out in respect of the damage
Both O’Donnell and Sheehy were arrested and although not all the items were returned, a number of the electronic items were found at 2nd hand cash shops.
O’Donnell, with 62 previous convictions admitted his role to gardai and pleaded guilty at the earliest course.
Sheehy, the court heard, came before Judge O’Donnell without any previous convictions and had made efforts to distance himself from the activity of two years ago and was no the father of a baby girl with his partner.
Judge O’Donnell said that these “strident efforts” were noted and therefore he would suspend a three year sentence for three years and bound Sheehy to the peace.
However, noting the previous convictions, Judge O’Donnell jailed Cian O’Donnell for three years but suspended the last 12 months.
