Teen remanded in custody for theft and burglary in County Carlow
Carlow Courthouse
A teenager has been remanded in custody by Judge Mary Morrissey at Carlow Circuit Court awaiting the finalisation of his sentence for a range of theft and burglary offences.
Prosecuting barrister Brian O’Shea told the court that in the early hours of 17 September 2024, the accused was involved in an attempted burglary of a hairdressers in Rathvilly. CCTV footage showed three men exiting a grey vehicle, which had been taken without authorisation, near the address. The men tried to force open the front door and damaged a window but did not succeed in gaining entry. The car left the scene at 2.28am.
Several minutes later, the suspected vehicle was observed by CCTV parking outside a house in The Granary, Killerig, Tullow. The group approached the house, entered and quickly left after being startled by a washing machine.
At 4.16am, the same car was seen entering the grounds of Palatine GAA Club in Bennekerry. The car was seen ramming the front door of the building, causing it to fall off its hinges. The group then entered the building, stole €100 worth of alcohol and a cash register containing €200.
At 4.46am, CCTV recorded the same car parked at fuel pumps at CircleK in Tinryland. The accused was identified as the driver of the car while filling it with €36.91 of fuel. Another person exited the rear passenger door and went into the shop, while a third male remained in the front passenger seat. None of the men paid for the fuel.
Following the publication of a national garda bulletin, a garda officer in Tallaght identified the accused as the person driving the car.
The book of evidence was served on the defence on 1 May 2025 and the accused entered a guilty plea to five of six counts on 11 November 2025. He has since turned 18, but as he was charged as a juvenile, he cannot be publicly identified.
Mr O’Shea outlined that the accused had previous convictions as a juvenile and as an adult for theft, assault, four burglaries and arson. He was on bail as of 28 August 2024 at the time of committing the offences in Carlow.
Kathleen Leader BL for the defence noted: “Obviously, it was a joint enterprise and his role was as driver in the circumstances.”
Ms Leader submitted a detailed report from a neuropsychologist, which outlined her client’s “very difficult background”. The court heard that the accused is from Dublin, that his father died when he was very young and that his mother subjected him to violence throughout his childhood.
“He didn’t have the benefit of a peaceful, nurturing background that every child is entitled to. As a result, he finds it difficult to react appropriately to stressful situations,” said Ms Leader.
She further said the accused began experimenting with drugs as a teenager and became involved with an antisocial peer group, which led to the offending behaviour.
She described him as a “good student, notwithstanding distractions and absence from school”. She said he has gotten on very well in custody. His grandfather was present in court and said: “He has a good home to come back to,” which was accepted by Judge Mary Morrissey.
Ms Leader accepted there was a mandatory consecutive element in this case due to the fact that the defendant was on bail. However, she asked the court not to make this a “crushing sentence”.
Judge Mary Morrissey said she wanted time to consider the documents put before her and remanded the accused in custody on the same terms until a hearing on 17 July 2026.
