Limerick man jailed over early-morning break-in at business premises

A SERIAL offender who broke into a commercial premises in Castletroy has been jailed for five months, writes David Hurley.

Greg Russell, aged 31, of The Orchard, Caherconlish pleaded guilty to a burglary charge relating to an incident at Groody Road in the early hours of January 29, 2018.

Sergeant Donal Cronin told Limerick District Court the defendant “forcibly entered” the premises at around 6.15am – activating a security alarm.

While he could not be identified from CCTV footage, Mr Russell, who has more than 260 previous convictions, was linked to the break-in following a forensic examination of the scene.

Sgt Cronin said when questioned about the incident following his arrest, the defendant “maintained his right to silence” telling the court the case against him was based on the forensic evidence.

Mr Russell, he added, has 26 previous convictions for burglary offences and is in custody in relation to separate matters.

Solicitor Tom Kiely said his client is a drug addict who has spent most of his adult life in custody for a variety of offences.

“His previous convictions speak for themselves,” he said adding that Mr Russell’s “long-suffering” partner gave birth to the couple’s first child since he entered custody last year.

“She is standing by him,” he said adding that Mr Russell is “drug-free” at the moment.

Imposing sentence, Judge Bernadette Owens said the defendant’s previous convictions were a concern and an aggravating factor she had to consider.

However, she not his guilty plea and the fact that the premises he targeted was unoccupied at the time.

In the circumstances, she sentenced him to five months’ imprisonment.