Heroin abuse blamed for offences

JOHN KINSELLA of 43 Mount Carmel in New Ross faced a couple of burglary charges when he appeared at the District Court sitting in Wexford.

Heroin abuse was blamed for the 33-year-old’s offences, who had a bad record of similar previous convictions.

Judge Gerard Haughton learned how gardaí were called on January 4 to deal with a report of a break-in at a house in Mount Carmel.

Officers arrived to see three persons – including Kinsella - leaving out the back of the premises.

A microwave had been removed from the house and a window was broken.

The same trio also entered 3 Abbey Hall when they had no permission to be there.

After his arrest, the defendant set fire to the mattress in his cell at the barracks, causing €200 worth of damage.

The record showed that Kinsella had previously been convicted of burglary on four occasions.

Barrister Liam Stafford reckoned that the defendant came from a very difficult background.

He had a long-term problem with heroin, noted counsel, who reckoned that this was the main cause behind his offending.

Kinsella, the court was told, was making a serious effort to go straight and stay off drugs.

He had great support from his wife, whom he married in January.

Judge Haughton listened to the plea for leniency and accepted that the accused was making an effort.

A ten month jail sentence was considered but first the court was prepared to see if Kinsella really had broken the cycle of offending.

On that basis, charges were adjourned to September to see how he behaves in the meantime, with a view to maybe suspending the prison term.

‘You are going to prison for ten months unless you stay out of trouble for the next 12 months,’ said the judge to the defendant.

A curfew requiring Kinsella to be at home each night from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. was put in place.