A repeat offender who committed a number of burglaries and threatened to damage property when confronted by a resident received a 14 month jail sentence at Galway District Court this week.
James Morris (23 ) with address at 11 John Coogan Park, Newcastle, was brought before Judge Mary Fahy last Monday charged with two counts of burglary, tresspass, and public order offences.
Inspector Michael Coppinger told the court that on November 5 at 11.10pm the defendant entered an apartment at Atlantis on Seamus Quirke Road where he stole a laptop from the bedroom. Morris was identified on CCTV and arrested at his home where the stolen laptop was also found. On April 4 at 2.30am Morris entered a premises at Kilderry House, Lower Fairhill Road, made his way upstairs and disturbed a couple living there. When the couple went to investigate they found that a Nokia phone and a Toshiba laptop had been taken.
On November 2, 2009, the defendant was found by a resident at the side of a house in Laurel Park, Newcastle at 12.40am. When Morris was confronted he threatened the resident, saying that he would damage the property. He was charged with being intoxicated in a public place, threatening and abusive behaviour, and with trespassing on the curtilage of a building in a manner likely to cause fear in another person. The inspector added that Morris had a number of previous convictions which include possession of drugs, burglary, possession of articles, and public order.
Defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn acknowledged that his client had a lot of convictions for similar types of offences. “He fails to comprehend the seriousness of his actions and the consequences,” said Mr MacLynn, who added that it was on this basis that he had previously asked for the defendant to be assessed and for a psychiatric report to be prepared.
Judge Fahy replied that Morris had been coming before the courts for years and that his potential level of reoffending was high.
“A young couple was traumatised, a man would have had his property damaged when confronted by this man. The court has tried to help, there is no more that I can do,” she said.
Mr MacLynn then asked Judge Fahy to give Morris “some ray of hope” as he is still very young.
“He has caused a lot of upset... Would you like it if people burgled your house?” Judge Fahy asked, to which Morris replied: “No”.
After hearing the evidence Judge Fahy convicted and sentenced Morris to 14 months in jail backdated to November 7, 2009. Leave to appeal was granted and the conditions should he be released on bail pending an appeal included to be of good behaviour, not to reoffend, to sign on daily at Galway Garda Station between 9am and 9pm, and to abide by a curfew between 10pm and 9am.
