Burglar strikes at home of TD Joan
JOAN Burton suffered a house break-in last night – as she was giving a public talk about crime prevention.
A woman was arrested at the Labour TD’s home on the Old Cabra Road in Dublin.
Ms Burton was at a public meeting in Hartstown at the time of the break-in, speaking about burglaries and the upsurge in petty crime.
She told the Irish Daily Mail last night: ‘It is ironic that I was speaking on this very issue, because of the increase in house breaking and the need for more community gardaí.
‘It has been a bit of a shock. The wheelie bin was pulled up to the side gate... and then used to climb over the gate before the woman went around the back.’
FORMER tánaiste Joan Burton suffered a house break-in last night – as she was giving a public talk about crime prevention and the need for more community gardaí.
A woman was arrested at the Labour TD’s home on the Old Cabra Road in Dublin and was being held in custody last night.
A neighbour spotted a female figure pulling a green bin up to the side gate of the Burton home – which the politician shares with her husband, former party councillor Pat Carroll – and then jumping over.
The witness immediately telephoned the gardaí. A suspect was arrested a short time later.
A window had been pulled out at the rear of the property, which is also close to the back garden of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
The suspect, in her 30s, was detained by gardaí. No-one was injured and it appear little of value was taken, although this will be confirmed today.
Ms Burton – a constituency colleague of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – was at a public meeting in Hartstown at the time of the break-in, which happened at around 8.05pm, speaking about burglaries and the upsurge in petty crime. Her home was empty but locked up in her absence.
She told the Irish Daily Mail last night: ‘The person who did it used one of those things for taking out the kitchen window, which was popped. We’ve just put it back in.’
Her daughter had been in the dwelling just 20 minutes before the attack. The TD said: ‘It is ironic that I was speaking on this very issue, because of the increase in house breaking and the need for more community gardaí. It’s been a bit of a shock. The wheelie bin was pulled up to the side gate, which was locked, and then used to climb up and over the gate before the woman went around the back.
‘I was phoned about the incident by a neighbour. It was not targeted or anything – it could have been any house. And I suppose that is the point.
‘But everything was locked up, nobody has been hurt and there is no damage to speak of, really. I don’t think anything has been taken, either, but I suppose we won’t know that fore sure for a while.’
Ms Burton thanked the neighbour who alerted gardaí. She said another neighbour had heard noise and also phoned the gardaí, showing the importance of people looking out for one another.
‘The gardaí must have been in the area,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if she was disturbed when inside, but she wasn’t there very long, and then the guards arrested her coming out.’
‘I must say that I am just extremely grateful to the gardaí for the speed and efficiency shown and their commendable conduct in making the arrest.
‘They were extremely professional and indeed most courteous and helpful to us afterwards. They were brilliant.’
Ms Burton said she surmised the person who had removed the pane of glass at the rear of her property was very experienced in so doing. She continued: ‘I am just relieved nobody was hurt. I think it was just a house being selected at random, although there has been a lot of concern around here in recent weeks about the prospect of break-ins, whether that is reflected or not by the actual experience. It seems to be on the increase in many parts of the north side of Dublin city.’
It could have been that the gardaí who made the arrest were actually on a proactive anti-burglary patrol, she added.
The former tánaiste said the violation of her home was ‘a little bit shocking’, but that she was absolutely reassured by the speed of the Garda response and the manner in which the case had been resolved.
Fianna Fáil last week called for the suspension of bail in cases of burglary and aggravated burglary, pointing out that 70% of burglaries are carried out by previous housebreakers. The party’s spokesman on justice, Jim O’Callaghan, introduced a Bill to extend preventive custody to such crimes, but Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan told the Dáil he had doubts about the Constitutional probity of the measure and that for this reason it would be resisted by Government.
‘It could have been any house’