Man (43) receives seven-year jail term for spree of thefts from Tipperary properties
Gardaí linked the father-of-12 to the crime spree through photos and videos found on two mobile phones they seized from him
A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to seven years jail with the final three years suspended for five years at Clonmel Circuit Court for a spree of thefts of goods ranging from power tools to building materials worth thousands of euros from seven premises in Tipperary.
Judge Cephas Power imposed the sentence on Thomas O'Donoghue of 44 Summercove Meadows, Old Road, Cashel, who pleaded guilty at the court last Thursday to seven counts of theft and three counts of criminal damage at properties in Cashel, Tipperary Town, Donohill, Golden and Holycross between January 31, 2023 and March 10, 2024.
Gardaí linked the father-of-12, who has 35 previous convictions, to the crime spree through photos and videos they found on two mobile phones they seized from him.
A second man, William O'Donoghue, aged 31, from 1 Carrowclough, Tipperary Town, who was with Thomas O'Donoghue when they both stole €200 worth of home heating oil from a property in Cashel, was sentenced at the same court hearing to three years jail with the final 12 months suspended for three years.
The father-of-five, who has 50 previous convictions, received this sentence for the home heating oil theft and for the theft of a power washer from a Thurles hire centre and making a false statement to gardaí in relation to the power washer. He pleaded guilty to all three offences.
Det. Gda. Diarmuid Bourke gave evidence that gardaí seized a mobile home belonging to Thomas O'Donoghue while executing a search warrant at his home on October 12, 2023. They also came into lawful possession of a second mobile phone belonging to him on March 21 2024. Warrants were obtained to allow the data on the phones to be analysed by gardaí who identified stolen property from photos and videos they found on the two phones.
This data showed Thomas O'Donoghue on one occasion in the act of committing a crime and gardaí were able to identify some of the crime locations. There was also evidence on the phones showing some of the property was sold and that he had conversations with associates in relation to selling stolen property.
Gda Bourke outlined that between March 5 and 6, 2024 Thomas O'Donoghue stole 100 vehicle batteries valued at €2,000 from Hanly Tyres, Link Road, Tipperary Town. The theft was discovered on March 6 when the manager opened the business. A video found on the defendant's phone showed him at the business and saying “This is where tonight's money is coming from”.
A site where a house was under construction at Rathclogheen, Golden was entered between September 19 and 20, 2023 and an angle grinder valued at €4,250, a measuring tape and an aluminium ladder were stolen. Two locks on a gate and one on a container were damaged. A video found on Thomas O'Donoghue's phone showed him driving away with the ladder.
Another burglary was committed at a shed at the rear of a house at Beakstown, Holycross between January 31 and February 1, 2024. The owner found the lock was cut and €8,000 worth of equipment including a lawnmower, a generator, two drills, a laser level, Skil saw, two Dewalt batteries and assorted hand tools were stolen.
Photos found on the phone showed Thomas O'Donoghue participating in the crime.
Gda Bourke also recounted that property was stolen from a house under renovation on the Golden Road in Cashel on two occasions approximately a week apart. On February 9, 2024, a number of internal doors and boxes of tiles valued at €1,500 were stolen and €300 worth of damage was caused to an external door and window at the property.
A fridge, a six-ring cooker hob, two kitchen drawers, a drill, three measuring tapes and two penknives, all worth an estimated €2,235 were stolen from the same property between February 14 and 15, 2024. Video and voice notes found on one of the phones link the defendant to the crime. The fridge, valued at €1,000, was found at Thomas O'Donoghue's home in a follow-up search in December 2024.
Three strimmers were stolen from the garage of a house at Kyle, Upper Donohill on the evening of February 19, 2024. Gda. Bourke said the home owner, aged in his late 70s, heard a noise and plucked up the courage later on to go out and look and found the garage door open and lock removed. Photos of strimmers found on Thomas O'Donoghue's phone were identified as belonging to the injured party.
An €800 power washer stolen from a shed on land,owned by a man aged in his 70s, at Ballinlough East, Bansha on January 31, 2023 was also identified in photos found on the defendant’s phone and a vehicle registered to O’Donoghue was seen leaving the scene.
The theft involving both Thomas O'Donoghue and William O'Donoghue occurred at the rear of a house at Caiseal na Rí, Cashel on February 15, 2024. Gda. Bourke outlined the two defendants were in the process of stealing €200 worth of home heating oil from the property but a garda interrupted them and they had to return the oil. Thomas O'Donoghue discussed with an associate on his phone how the gardaí interrupted and they lost €400 worth of oil drums.
William O'Donoghue, meanwhile, hired a €1,950 power washer from Ronayne Plant Hire & Hardware Store at Dublin Road in Thurles on February 26 last year. He reported it stolen to Tipperary Town Garda Station on March 1 and provided a written statement about its theft on March 23. The power washer was subsequently found in the defendant's backyard by gardaí searching his residence.
Defence barrister Edward O'Mahony, representing Thomas O'Donoghue, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. There was no evidence of violence or confrontation in any of the offences committed and the majority of the premises he stole from were unoccupied at the time.
He said his client was surrendering a €5,000 cheque lodged with the court as surety for payment to the victims as compensation.
Mr O'Mahony said his client was in custody since June last year, first of all serving a sentence and in custody since March in relation to these offences.
Mr O'Mahony submitted to the court a letter of apology from his client and letter from a psychotherapist outlining the impact of imprisonment on his family. His wife was now the sole carer of their 12 children. It was a matter of significant difficulty for the family and he was finding jail difficult as this was the longest period he has been in custody.
Mr O'Mahony said his client struggled with his mental health in the past and was under the care of a psychiatrist prior to going into custody. He had completed an addiction treatment course with Merchants Quay and urine analysis tests showed no evidence of drugs.
Barrister David Roberts, representing William O'Donoghue, said his client wished to apologise and was “deeply ashamed” of the offences he committed. He submitted that the oil theft was at the lower end of the scale of such offences given the relatively low value of oil stolen and the fact he was caught red-handed. The power washer theft didn't involve trespass on a premises. He made full admissions when interviewed and came forward to the circuit court on a signed plea of guilty for which he deserved the maximum credit from the court. It was his first time before the circuit court
Mr Roberts also outlined that his client's wife was due to give birth to their sixth child in early June. It has been a very challenging pregnancy and he was anxious to be there to support her.
His client had a history of drug addiction and attended Coolmine Drug Addiction Centre in 2024 and received a positive report from the centre. The barrister submitted letters to the court from his client's GP, and a mental health organisations and requested the court to consider imposing a suspended jail term.
As he imposed sentence, Judge Cephas Power said the impact these crimes have on rural communities was not confined to the amount of property lost. People living in rural areas are often isolated geographically and more vulnerable. The invasion of the property itself was deeply traumatising for the injured parties and he noted some of the victims were elderly.
Such intrusion gave lasting psychological harm as evidenced in the victim impact statements he had read in this case.
It was a recurring theme, he said and highlighted how one of the victims was afraid her home was going to be broken into on a continuous basis and she went to considerable expense putting in CCTV cameras.
Her daughter, who has special needs, was severely affected by the crime with her sleep patterns affected for months and suffering from constant fear that the criminals were going to come back.
Judge Power highlighted how the victim impact statements showed the injured parties suffered stress and anxiety for some time after the crimes due to the worry they felt about the criminals returning and the feeling of insecurity in their own property.
In sentencing both defendants, he took into account their pleas of guilty, letters of apology and other mitigating factors outlined by their defence but he had to consider the impact of the crimes on the victims.
He suspended the final three years of Thomas O'Donoghue's term on condition he entered into a bond to keep the peace for five years on his release and remain under the supervision of the Probation Service during that time. He took into account the offer of €5,000 compensation but didn't accept because it didn’t cover the amount of property stolen and his large family of dependants. The start of his sentence was backdated to March 1.
Judge Power suspended the final 12 months of William O'Donoghue's sentence for three years on condition that he also keep the peace during that period and remain under the supervision of the Probation Service.