Burglar needed gardaí to rescue him
Photo for illustrative purposes only
A MAN who allegedly attempted to burgle a shop but got locked in and had to ring the gardaí to be rescued will have to return to court in January to learn his fate on this trespass charge.
“You just couldn’t make it up!” laughed Judge Desmond Zaidan in Athy District Court earlier this week (10 September) to John Paul Carthy (18) of Ardrew Halting Site, Athy.
The bungled burgle occurred at the XL Shop in Dun Bhroin, Athy on 18 March, a place where he had previous form, after he stole a €5 Christmas bauble in December 2022, only for a staff member to confiscate his change on his next visit.
“How could I not recognise you?” smiled the judge, who had previously said: "It’s very hard not to warm to this lad. He doesn’t sound like a bad lad, but we need to direct him,” said the judge.
Mr Carthy had been assigned to Elaine Cowzer of the Probation Service last January.
“Can you get him back into training? If we leave him like this, a dysfunctional family, I’d worry about him,” said the judge, and Ms Cowzer accepted the task.
This week, his solicitor Jacqui McManus told the court her client “is doing very well and has started boxing”.
“He’s promised me he’ll never be in court again and says he was hanging around with the wrong people,” she said.
On hearing her client was pleading guilty to the trespass, Judge Zaidan remanded the defendant on continuing bail, to return to Athy District Court on 14 January.
