'Career burglar' whose victim lives in ‘constant fear’ has sentence from Limerick court reduced

A “career burglar” with more than 200 previous convictions who was on bail when he broke into a house and stole a Revolut card - later used in an unsuccessful attempt to buy a bottle of water - has had his six-year jail sentence cut by two years on appeal.

George Hackett, aged 39, claimed he had a knife and threatened to use it after he was restrained and removed from the property by the homeowner’s neighbour.

READ NEXT: Limerick man who told gardai, 'I hope the c*** is dead', jailed for seven-and-a-half years

Hackett, with an address at Mitchel Street, Thurles, County Tipperary, pleaded guilty by way of a signed plea to burglary committed on March 3, 2024. Two attempted theft charges, relating to failed efforts to use a Revolut card stolen in the burglary, were taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to six years in prison by judge Colin Daly at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on December 19, 2024.

Quashing Hackett’s sentence at the Court of Appeal this Tuesday and resentencing him to four years and six months with the final six months suspended, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said there must be some reasonable prospect of “breaking the cycle of criminality”, not only for the benefit of the accused but also for society.

He found the sentencing judge erred by nominating a headline sentence of nine years. The judge said the case fell into the middle range but not “the highest end” of this band.

Mr Justice McCarthy noted Hackett has 204 previous convictions - 53 of which are for burglary - as well as a number for theft, possession of stolen property and robbery.

He said Hackett was on bail for matters before the District Court when the burglary occurred but breached his conditions, not only by committing this offence, but also by failing to remain at the residential addiction-treatment facility that formed the basis for his release.

Hackett’s sentencing hearing was told that the victim of the burglary returned home shortly before 5pm on the date in question and found herself unable to open the front door fully because of an obstruction within the house.  She heard someone coughing inside and contacted her neighbour for assistance.

The woman’s neighbour entered the house and ushered Hackett downstairs out of the property.

As Hackett was being restrained, he threatened to use a knife. The householder urged her neighbour to let the intruder go and Hackett fled the scene.

At his appeal hearing, defence counsel for Hackett, Patrick Whyms BL, said an attempt was subsequently made to use a Revolut card taken from the house to buy a bottle of water, but this was unsuccessful.

Hackett was arrested later the same night and gardaí took possession of his clothing, but no knife was recovered.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said the emotional and psychological impact of the incident had been “profound” and had shattered her peace of mind.

She told Hackett she hoped he “never put another family through this” and urged him to make peace with his “internal demons” and get the help he needed so no other family would have to live in “constant fear like I do”.

Appealing the severity of the jail term imposed, Mr Whyms argued the headline sentence of nine years was too high and that the judge failed to have any or sufficient regard to the mitigating factors of rehabilitation in the case. He said more should have been done to recognise and incentivise rehabilitative work undertaken by Hackett.

However, John O’Sullivan BL, for the State, described Hackett as a “career burglar”. He said the confrontation between the householder and the 39-year-old was “a very aggravating factor” and the sentencing judge was “perfectly correct” , both in the headline sentence set and the reduction given for mitigation.

In resentencing Hackett today, Mr Justice McCarthy set a new headline term of six years, noting the aggravating factors in the case included the fact that the burglary took place at a dwellinghouse, that there was a confrontation in the house, the threat of violence with a knife and that the offence had a “grave adverse effect” on the householder.

However, he said the court also took into account the rehabilitation evidence from the Circuit Court and further material later provided relating to the HSE and Novas - an organisation that supports people experiencing homelessness - confirming their ongoing willingness to assist Hackett with housing and institutional care.

“We think that there must be some reasonable prospect at this stage of breaking the cycle of criminality to the ultimate benefit not only of the accused but of society,” he said.