Burglary gang abandoned broken down car with stolen items inside

A thief who was part of a burglary gang who pushed their broken-down getaway car to a hotel car park before abandoning it while a number of stolen household items were inside has avoided a custodial prison sentence.

Jaime Collins (22) with an address at 56 Chancery Park Road, Tullamore, Offaly, was handed a 12-month probation bond by Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court last week following a break-in at a private residence at 4 Cuainin, Marlinstown, Mullingar, Westmeath on July 31, 2023.

Mr Collins and two co-accused were caught after a neighbour of the vacant property spotted four men shortly after 11pm carrying a large amount of property from inside the house to a 07-registered vehicle parked outside.

Detective Garda James Grogan had previously told Mullingar District Court how the gang were seen minutes later pushing the car towards a nearby roundabout.

He said that when officers arrived at the house, they found a “significant amount” of damage to the interior and bedrooms ransacked.

The court was also told of how fresh blood marks were spattered across the staircase and walls while several interior glass-panel doors had been smashed.

Gardaí later found the car in question a short distance away in the car park of the Mullingar Park Hotel.

Det Garda Grogan said he and a colleague noticed it immediately due to the way it had been “parked sideways” and that the contents of the burgled house still inside.

A check on the vehicle found that its registered owner was one of Mr Collins’s co-accused and blood found on a side panel matched that of the accused, the court heard.

The items in the car included a Panasonic 32-inch TV and remote, two oriental lamps, eight glasses, a golden oriental figure, two wicker baskets, a white photo frame and a Revolut card.

The pair, who both pleaded guilty to burglary, were arrested later that night when gardaí were called to an incident where four men had been ejected from a taxi in the Green Road area of Mullingar.

Three of those, including Mr Collins, were arrested near the car park of the local Tesco while a fourth managed to flee on foot.

Det Gda Grogan said when he arrested Jaime Collins he noticed a bandage covering a fresh injury to his hand.

He told Judge Owens that owing to the latter’s level of intoxication, he believed Jamie Collins was the “ring-leader” behind the botched raid, and evidence showed it was he who damaged a key box to gain entry to the vacant property.

He said the volume of Mr Collins’ blood found on the stairs was symptomatic of a “very careless person that didn’t have any regard for property”.

At last Thursday’s court sitting in Mullingar, Judge Bernadette Owens was told by Andrea Callan, BL, that her client had paid €2,500 in compensation to add to the €5,000 which had been handed over by Mr Collins’s co-accused.

She conceded a probation report on the court’s file put Mr Collins at “high risk” of reoffending, but said there was still the option for a spell of probation supervision.

Ms Callan said it was her belief Mr Collins was now free from all illicit substances, though she had no concrete proof. She also said the six previous convictions Mr Collins had picked up were for road traffic matters. Sgt Sheila Kenny confirmed that the accused had not come to garda attention since the offence in question.

Judge Owens said she would hold off from issuing a sentence against Mr Collins and ordered him to abide by a 12-month probation bond.