Blood swab on car led to Laois man’s arrest
Image for illustration purposes
A BLOOD swab taken from a smashed window of a hospital worker’s car led to the arrest of a man who came before Portlaoise District Court last week on charges of criminal damage and theft.
Garda sgt JJ Kirby told the court that a person who worked in the nearby hospital had parked her car in the car park of O’Gorman’s in Kilminchy beside the public house. When she returned to go to work after a few days, she found the passenger side car window broke and her swipe card for the hospital stolen.
Sgt Kirby said that when a blood sample left at the scene was swabbed and run through a data base, it matched the defendant’s blood.
Arising from the incident, Zach Ward (20) from Clonad Road, Portlaoise pleaded guilty to theft and to criminal damage sometime between 24-28 August 2023.
Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said that her client “had a very difficult upbringing, which is cold comfort to the victim of his crime. He was in foster care since he was two weeks old. He was homeless at the time but he has a home now and a partner and a two-month-old baby boy.” Judge Susan Fay remanded Mr Ward on continuing bail to 10 November and in the meantime ordered that he take part in a and undergo probation and community service assessments.
