Sunville House in County Limerick
THREE men have been found guilty of raiding the Garvey family home at Sunville House in County Limerick more than five years ago.
Following a seven week trial at Limerick Circuit Court, Patrick Roche, (52), of Kilcronan Close, Clondalkin, Dublin; Philip Roche, (24), of the same address as his father Patrick and Alan Freeman, (37), of Pearse Park, Tipperary Town had each denied charges relating to an aggravated burglary at Sunville House, Pallasgreen on April 16, 2012 where members of the Garvey family were attacked in their home.
The three had also denied the false imprisonment of the Gerard Garvey, Ann Garvey and three of the couple’s four children on the same date.
However, after five weeks of evidence, and almost two weeks of legal argument in a trial that is expected to cost upwards of €250,000, the jury took just four hours to return unanimous guilty verdicts in the case of Patrick Roche and Philip Roche and a further two hours to convict Alan Freeman, also by a unanimous guilty verdict.
The Roche father and son accused were also convicted to their roles in another violent burglary less than a month after the Sunville House raid.
Patrick and Phillip Roche were convicted of an aggravated burglary at the home of three elderly siblings at Ballyluddy, Pallasgreen on May 31, 2012.
On Thursday, Judge John Hannan thanked the jury for their service and excused them from serving for the next 20 years given the duration of the trial they had just done.
All three were remanded in custody for sentencing and a date is to be fixed in September.
During the trial, the jury heard that Ann Garvey, who was recovering from breast cancer surgery, was having a bath when a gang of armed raiders burst in to her home.
She said that the men, who were armed with a sawn-off shotgun, a baseball bat and a sledgehammer, said her daughter would be shot if she didn’t give them the key to the safe.
Ms Garvey told the court that she had undergone a mastectomy and was taking a bath when the men broke in to her home. The mother-of-four said that her husband, Gerard was handcuffed in the sitting room and had a sawn-off shotgun pressed to his forehead.
One of their daughters was bound with cable ties and her twin brother was punched in the face and threatened with a baseball bat.
Gerard Garvey said that when he went to investigate a loud bang in the living room, he was confronted by a gang who had smashed the patio door. He said there were three or four figures dressed in black and wearing balaclavas.
He was looking down the barrel of a sawn-off shotgun as they forced him and his daughter to the ground.
The man with the gun said: “we’ll blow your head off and we will take your kids away and you’ll never see them again”.
They demanded the key of the safe which contained $3,000 and £5,000 but they wanted more.
Sgt Helen Holden told Judge Hannan that when she arrived to Sunville House, she found a scene of “panic, pandemonium, and trauma”.
Det Garda Niamh Brosnan, who was accompanied by Det Garda Senan O’Sullivan said that the family were extremely upset and shocked at what had happened and that Gerry Garvey was still in handcuffs and had to be freed with bolt cutters.
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