Burglar broke into church in middle of night
The actions of a burglar who broke into a church in the middle of the night and stole an undisclosed amount of cash were described as ‘an affront to society’ by a judge at Galway District Court last week.
Imposing sentences totalling 16 months on repeat offender, 27-year-old Shane Davis from Ahascragh, Judge Mary Fahy said: “We know that all burglaries are serious enough – but to break into a church is an affront to society that cannot be tolerated.”
Davis appeared in custody before the court where he pleaded guilty to entering as a trespasser the Church of Christ the King, Salthill, at some time during the night of October 9 last year to commit theft.
He also pleaded guilty to breaking into an apartment at Realt na Mara, Salthill to commit theft; to damaging the window of a private house a few doors down from the apartment and to trespassing on the curtilage of the house on the same night.
Charges in relation to an alleged burglary, criminal damage and theft of a car at another private dwelling in the same area with withdrawn by the State.
Sergeant Aoife Curley, prosecuting, said Davis broke into the church in Salthill sometime between midnight and 8am the following morning and stole cash which was later recovered when he was arrested.
She said he caused €150 of damage when he broke a side window in a house in Upper Salthill that same night and items he stole during a break-in at a nearby apartment were all recovered when he was arrested.
Defence solicitor, Valerie Corcoran said Davis, a father of two, developed a heroin addiction five years ago which had destroyed his life.
Sgt Curley said Davis had 62 previous convictions, the most recent recorded last October for handling stolen property.
Judge Fahy sentenced him to nine months for the break-in at the church and imposed a consecutive seven-month sentence on him for the burglary at the apartment. Concurrent, one-month and two-month sentences were imposed for the remaining charges.