Man’s criminal activities caused damage worth thousands of euro

A SERIES of guilty pleas were entered by 29-year-old Bernard Egan of 27 Forest Park, Courtown in response to burglary and criminal damage charges in North Wexford and a pub in Wexford town.

The father of a four-week-old daughter appeared at the Gorey sitting of the District Court where Judge John Cheatle heard how the defendant’s criminal activities caused thousands of euro worth of damage.

On October 4 last, Egan was staying at the B&B attached to the Foggy Dew on Wexford’s South Main Street when he broke into the pub, removing the till which contained just €15 in cash.

The till was damaged to the tune of €2,000, while two poker machines also came under attack at a cost of €4,000.

A sum of €300 was added to the bill – the price of replacing the locks at the pub.

Previously, on June 4, 2015 he trespassed at Pirate’s Cove in Courtown, opening several machines and removing €840 in coins.

The damage done was put at €4,019 and it was necessary to close the business for a day while repairs were carried out.

The accused was also one of two who broke into the premises of Theo’s Doughnuts in Courtown early on July 4, 2015 when they stole €150 in coins.

On February 5 last year, the defendant was found with a screwdriver on his person when he was searched by gardaí on the Courtown Road in Gorey.

Garda Sergeant Victor Isdell had details of 53 previous convictions, most of them imposed for motoring offences.

Solicitor Lana Doherty said that her client grew up in Tallaght where he started abusing drugs at the age of 11.

He graduated to heroin at 24 and then went off the rails for a period, Ms Doherty said. However, she reckoned that a stable partnership with the mother of the new baby was a positive influence.

Egan was recently free of drugs and had applied to take a residential rehab course at St Francis’s Farm in County Carlow. The judge indicated that he intended to require Egan to carry out 140 hours of community service in lieu of four month imprisonment.

A suspended four months sentence was recorded for the break-in at Theo’s Donuts and a suspended six month sentence for the break-in at the Foggy Dew.