TWO men who ransacked a house in a Limerick city neighbourhood in broad daylight were photographed by a neighbour as they walked away with refuse bags full of stolen property and a television set.
At Limerick Circuit Court last week Kenneth Sheehan (30) of Shanabooly Road, Ballynanty and Geoffrey Duggan (28) of Sexton Street North, Thomondgate pleaded guilty to breaking into the house at Bellfield Court, Farranshone on August 26 last.
Detective Ronan O’Reilly of Mayorstone Garda Station said that the injured party left her home at 11.30am after double locking the front door and when she returned at 6.45pm found that the house had been ransacked.
Shortly afterwards, a neighbour told her he saw the “two lads acting suspiciously”. One, who was subsequently identified as Geoffrey Duggan, had a television under his arm and other property in black bags by his side.
When he was approached by another neighbour, Duggan took off down the road.
Kenneth Sheehan then came out of the house and as he got to the end of the road, neighbours took a picture of him carrying some of the stolen property.
A third man emerged with bags but he ran off shouting “get the fuck away from me or I will knife ye”. This man was not apprehended nor was he identified by either Sheehan or Duggan.
The occupant of the house saw Sheehan walking with laptop under his arm as she was returning home.
Shortly afterwards, Gardaí found Duggan in a nearby house with the bag of property.
Sheehan was found hiding under a duvet in a house in Thomondgate but escaped through an upstairs window when Gardaí went to arrest him
He was subsequently arrested at Creagh Avenue in Killeely and charged with the offences when it was established that he was on High Court bail at the time of the burglary.
He denied having black bags of stolen property and claimed that foreign currency he was found in possession of was given to him by family and friends who were on holiday. A bottle of perfume found in his possession was part of a “transaction with another man”.
Gardai said that some €4,000 worth of goods were stolen, including iPads, a television, jewellery, a laptop, hand bags and other personal items but only €1,500 worth of goods had been recovered.
After praising the neighbours for their vigilance, Judge Tom O’Donnell remanded both men in custody to July 29 for sentencing.
