Baby clothes, cars and passports among items taken by Wexford man jailed for spate of burglaries

A Wexford resident who stole baby clothes, a child's birth certificate and the parents' marriage certificate during one of 17 burglaries of occupied homes has been sentenced to five years.

Baby clothes, cars and passports among items taken by Wexford man jailed for spate of burglaries

A Wexford resident who stole baby clothes, a child's birth certificate and the parents' marriage certificate during one of 17 burglaries of occupied homes has been sentenced to five years.

Kevin Coughlan (aged 23) stole 13 cars, engagement rings, passports and other sentimental items from houses while the homeowners were asleep.

A number of victim impact statements before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court outlined the effect the crimes had on the families, with many parents reporting that both they and their young children struggled to sleep in the months that followed due to “a compromised sense of security”.

Judge Melanie Greally noted that one woman wasn't able to afford to replace the car Coughlan had stolen and many victims were inconvenienced trying to replace stolen bank cards and official documentation.

Some people who had passports stolen were not able to re-arrange documentation in time for a planned holiday.

One woman who was due to holiday with her sister couldn't make the trip and her sister died a short time later.

Another woman had been recovering from a stroke and was caring for her husband who had dementia when Coughlan raided her home. He stole items of sentimental value to this woman which added greatly to the stress she was already under.

The court heard that the total economic loss of all the injured parties in the case, including the stolen cars and other property and the cost of repairing damage caused by the burglaries, was in excess of €130,000.

Coughlan of Danescastle, Carrick On Bannow, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the burglary of 17 houses and the theft of 13 cars in the Clontarf area in Dublin, on dates between May 2016 and September 2017.

Judge Greally suspended the final two and half years of the five-year sentence on strict conditions including that he engage with the Probation Service for 18 months and attend for addiction counselling as directed by them.

A local garda told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that gardaí were able to identify Coughlan on CCTV following the final burglary on September 8, 2017, and discovered items relating to other burglaries upon searching the house in which he was living at the time.

Coughlan made full admissions during interview with gardaí and said he committed the crimes in order to eat and pay rent. He was also attempting to pay off a drug debt.

He said he felt “horrible” when he realised he had stolen baby clothes and a baby blanket during a burglary on August 21, 2017. He also stole the baby's birth certificate and their parent's marriage certificate during this burglary.

Coughlan's 17 previous convictions include convictions for theft, criminal damage, road traffic and public order offences.

Marc Thompson BL, defending, submitted to the court that the prosecution case was largely based on Coughlan's admissions. He said there was no violence used during any of the burglaries and said his client was not someone who enjoys the trappings of wealth.

Coughlan read a letter to the court in which he said his father was an alcoholic who had subjected him to mental and physical abuse. He said he ended up homeless living on the streets and said that “to survive I started to steal and rob”.

Judge Greally accepted Coughlan's pleas of guilty were early and valuable to the prosecution and acknowledged that his own admissions “gave pivotal evidence against him”.

She noted that Coughlan expressed his remorse in a letter to the court, a sentiment which continued through both a psychological report and a report from the Probation Service.

Judge Greally further accepted that Coughlan was homeless at the time and there was a link between his then drug addiction and offending. He has since addressed this addiction while in prison and has demonstrated “a willingness to reform,” the judge said.

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