Portlaoise burglar found back door open
The burglar found a back door open at a house in Esker Hills and stole money. File image
A PORTLAOISE man agreed to remain in custody for four weeks, to allow victims of his offences to submit impact statements and for the probation service to carry out an assessment.
Seamus Coss from O’Moore Place, Portlaoise consented to the remand when he pleaded guilty at Portlaoise District Court to the burglary of a house at Esker Hills, Portlaoise on 29 June last year and to criminally damaging a window at a house in Park Lane, Maryborough Village, Portlaoise on 18 March.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing heroin for his own use at O’Moore Place and to obstructing gardaí in their duty, in the same location, on 20 February this year.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said that the 36-year-old defendant entered the house at Esker Hills through an open back door at 3.30am and took €60 from a coat that was hanging up. He said the injured party heard a noise and Mr Coss left.
The sergeant said that, while gardaí were executing a search warrant on 20 February at the house in O’Moore Place, Mr Coss was seen jumping from an upstairs bedroom window onto a roof and discarding an item, which later turned out to be one gram of heroin.
Regarding the damage caused on 18 March, Sgt Kirby said gardaí received a report of a man coming from a house, after its alarm went off. On investigation, they found a window had been broken which cost €500 to replace.
Defending solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said his client has been incarcerated since 19 March and is doing very well since. At the time of the offences, Mr Coss was strung out on heroin.
Mr Fitzgerald said: “He was a broken man but, since going into custody, he is very well lately. He’s a man who has no fear of custody. He’s been in and out since his adolescence.”
Judge Susan Fay remanded Mr Coss in custody by consent to the 25 May sitting of the court and asked that, in the meantime, he undergoes a probation assessment. The judge also asked gardaí to canvass the injured parties for victim impact statements.
