'I must have been stoned off my head': Limerick man steals €70k BMW and parks it outside his home

A MAN with 75 previous convictions stole a BMW valued at €70,000 and parked it outside his home address, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.

The accused man told gardai, “I must have been stoned out of my head”, after he was arrested.

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Shane Kelly, aged 37, of Distillery View, Thomondgate, Limerick city pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a vehicle at a house on the Ennis Road.

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

Mr O’Sullivan said a person residing in the house on the Ennis Road contacted gardai at 9.30am on April 18, 2025 to say that a grey BMW worth around €70,000 had been stolen. It had been parked at the back of the house.

“He had the keys in a press in the kitchen. They were taken from there during a burglary. CCTV footage from the house led to the accused man emerging as a suspect,” said Mr O’Sullivan. CCTV footage showed a burglar, who walked with a limp, at the property at 5am.

Keys to the car, a fob for the back gate and another set of keys, valued at €1,000, were stolen. Det Garda Humphreys confirmed they had all been returned.

Gardai went to Distillery View, Thomondgate an hour and a half later, observed the stolen BMW parked there and seized it. A man (not the accused) approached gardai and gave them the keys to the BMW which he had found on the ground.

Gardai tracked the BMW, which had its boot open, from the house on Ennis Road to Distillery View, Thomongate.

Det Garda Humphreys said the boot was open because he imagined Mr Kelly pressed the wrong button on the fob.

Mr O’Sullivan said Mr Kelly was arrested, shown the CCTV and made full admissions. Mr Kelly told gardai, “I apologised for my actions. I must have been stoned out of my head. I’m glad no one got hurt.”

No damage was caused to the BMW.

Mr O’Sullivan said Mr Kelly, who has never been in gainful employment, has 75 previous convictions, including for assault, aggravated burglary, 12 burglaries, possession of drugs, unauthorised taking of a vehicle, possession of stolen property and a “multiplicity of road traffic offences”.

Joseph McMahon BL, who represented Mr Kelly, said his client has pleaded guilty and made full and frank admissions.

“He is a native of the city. From a very early age he would have witnessed and been exposed to criminality. It is something that has affected him throughout his life and became normalised from what he saw as a young person.

“Unfortunately, he became entrenched in drug use from a very early age. He instructed me he was 17 when his drug use really ramped up. 

“He tells me has an addiction to heroin and crack cocaine, a drug which over the last number of years has ravaged this city in particular, and you have seen the consequential offending in this court,” said Mr McMahon, who added that the car was not damaged and Mr Kelly has expressed remorse.

Mr McMahon said Mr Kelly’s circumstances were “wretched” at the time and he was sleeping in a tent across the way from his home address in Thomondgate.

Judge Colin Daly adjourned sentencing to allow for clarification whether Mr Kelly was subject to a suspended sentence at the time or not.