Dub who robbed Kerry homes caught in Mallow Station chase laden with cash and jewellery

GARDAÍ chased a Dublin man down the platform of Mallow railway station and caught him with over €10,000 in stolen cash and thousands of euro worth of jewellery stuffed into his socks and pockets.

Detective Garda Michelle Roche, Killarney, told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that gardai had been investigating 13 burglaries that had taken place at houses throughout Co Kerry when they became aware of the presence of the accused in the Mallow area and notified local gardaí.

Det Garda Roche said gardaí arrived at the railway station in Mallow and saw William Cawley.

“He was on the platform for the Dublin train which was due to depart. He began running and attempted to flee,” Det Garda Roche said.

However, gardaí nabbed him and he was found to have a large quantity of jewellery, €10,340 in cash, and £1,579 in sterling.

“The jewellery found in his possession was identified as belonging to nine of the injured parties whose homes were burgled between December 4 and 6, 2012,” the detective said.

Judge Gerard O’Brien wanted to know why it had taken so long for the case to come before Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Det Garda Roche said the accused got bail in the High Court and absconded to England where he got two jail sentences in different parts of the UK for burglary-related crimes.

Now living in Luton, he was arrested under a European arrest warrant at Heathrow Airport and brought back to Cork for this case.

The judge sentenced him to three and a half years in jail, but suspended the last 18 months.