Limerick man, aged 91, awoken in his bed by knife-wielding burglar leaning over him

A 91-YEAR-OLD Limerick man asleep in his bed was awoken by a burglar leaning over him while brandishing a knife, a court has heard.

The elderly gentleman, who has lived on his own since his mother passed away, told gardai it was an “extremely terrifying incident”.

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After the accused man fled the scene, he told two gardai “if you try to follow me I will stab you”. After Patrick Byrnes, aged 23, of O’Loughlin’s Lane, Thomondgate, Limerick city was arrested by gardai he referred to himself as a “scumbag”.

Byrnes pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary with a knife at a home on O’Connell Avenue in Limerick city; possession of a knife at Parnell Street in the city and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to gardai. All the offences occurred on June 15, 2025. 

Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by State solicitor Padraig Mawe, outlined the evidence with the assistance of Detective Garda Tom Moynihan.

Mr O’Sullivan said the victim is a 91-year-old gentleman who has resided in a Victorian-style red brick terraced house on his own since his mother died.

“He recounts that he went to bed at 2am after watching TV. He woke up at 7am to take some medication and went back to sleep. The next thing he remembers is that he was woken up by a man leaning over him who was very close to his face. The accused was saying, “I want your car keys”.

“The intruder’s face was covered with something to cause further distress to the victim. The intruder was holding a dagger type knife in his left hand, and he was pointing the blade at the victim,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

The 91-year-old shouted at Byrnes to “get out” and he left via the front door. The victim discovered that his house had been ransacked and possessions were missing. He contacted gardai who commenced an investigation.

The elderly man told gardai:“This was an extremely terrifying incident. I can’t believe someone would break into my home where I live alone in possession of a weapon and demand my property.” Byrnes gained entry to his house by smashing a window shortly after 8am.

At 9.11am, gardai in a patrol car observed Byrnes walking with a coal sack full of antiques stolen from the house.

“Gardai approached him and attempted to ascertain details. He dropped the stolen property, walked over to the patrol car while brandishing a knife to gardai. He told them if they try to follow him he will stab them and fled,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

Byrnes was arrested by gardai on June 19 and made “full admissions”.

Mr O’Sullivan said the 91-year-old man did not sustain any physical injuries but “was badly shaken and in a state of shock”.

“He's retired for many years after working in the Civil Service. He has no immediate family nearby but is able to live on his own with support of kind neighbours,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

Antiques stolen - including ornaments, medals, coins and a hatchet - were recovered but a brass handled letter opener, which has been in his family for over 100 years and is of great sentimental value, is still missing.

Mr O’Sullivan read out the nonagenarian's victim impact statement which outlined how the break-in forced him to upgrade his security. A three foot razor wire fence was put on top of the rear wall, a double glazed window was replaced, extra lock on the back door and extra lights in the yard. 

“I regret the loss of the antique letter opener. The total cost of repairs was €2,400,” said the victim. 

Mr O’Sullivan concluded the State’s case by saying Byrnes, who has a large number of previous convictions, is an extremely violent individual with a propensity for violence. The barrister said aggravating factors are that the offences occurred while Byrnes was on bail and they “trigger” a suspended jail sentence.

Liam Carroll, barrister for Byrnes, put it to Det Garda Moynihan that his client was on drugs at the time of the aggravated burglary and his motive was to fund a cocaine addiction. “Yes,” said Det Garda Moynihan.

Mr Carrool said when gardai put it to Byrnes that this was a particularly unsavoury incident, he referred to himself as a “scumbag” and offered an apology. The detective agreed.

Mr Carroll, in mitigation, said is a serious offence and a grave encroachment on the privacy of an elderly gentleman.

“The only thing I can say is that Byrnes was told to leave and thankfully he did - there was no physical altercation,” said Mr Carroll, who added that his client ran away after exchanging words with gardai.

The barrister said Byrnes has lived in emergency accommodation from a very young age. Mr Carroll said this led to him falling into a negative peer group, pulling away from sports and school and becoming addicted to drugs.

The barrister said his client has a serious number of previous convictions for someone of his young age of 23 and is on a waiting list for drug treatment.

“He is sorry for the impact this would have had on an elderly gentleman. He made full admissions and has pleaded guilty,” said Mr Carroll.

Judge Colin Daly said it is a very serious matter and reserved his decision to pass sentence until a future date.

Byrnes was remanded in continuing custody.