This article is from page 13 of the 2009-07-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
AN IRANIAN refugee who admit- ted stealing thousands of euro worth of jewellery from 23 homes in Ennis has been handed a suspended jail reese
In May, Ali Reza Velayati, (40), of Avondale, Kilrush Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to 23 burglary charg- a
He admitted taking jewellery worth €53,020, along with cash — €1,280; $US5,500; £300 sterling and 140 Litas — a digital safe and sports bag, on various dates over a seven-week period between September 19 and November 8 last year.
When evidence was heard in the case last month, Judge Carroll Mo- ran warned the accused that he may face three years in jail. At Ennis Cir- cuit Court yesterday, Judge Moran said he was taking factors in the case into account in imposing a suspend- ed three-year sentence. He noted that Velayati has no previous convictions, co-operated with the probation serv- ices and that he suffers from depres- sion.
Defence counsel Lorcan Connolly BL told the court that his client has spent two spells in custody in rela- tion to this matter.
Judge Moran said that Velayati had “invaded on the privacy of 23 homes. It’s an intrusion into the private lives of people, even where the houses were unoccupied.” He said the ac- cused had packaged the jewellery “in a certain way which was quite unu- sual.”
He suspended the three-year jail term for three years and bound Ve- layati to the peace.
The homes were burgled in sev- eral parts of Ennis, including Col- lege Green, Abbey Court, Elm Park, Victoria Court, Odakpark, Bramble Lane, Inis Carraig, Gleni- na, Lifford, Tobartaoscain, Ard Aoi- bhinn, College Grove, Fergus Lawn,
St Senan’s Road, Cahercalla Estate, Glensheen, Ard na Greine, Clon Road and Shannon Park.
An investigation got underway af- ter gardai were receiving reports of burglaries on a daily basis.
The homes, which did not have alarms fitted, were targeted during the daytime. The houses were ran- sacked and jewellery and cash was taken. All of the houses were tech- nically examined, but no forensic
evidence was found. As the investi- gation continued, gardai were noti- fied about suspicious behaviour in the town on November 8&8, after two houses located close to each other were broken into. Two gardai, Ser- geant John Cunningham and Garda Cyril Page were involved in a chase, which culminated in the arrest of the accused in the garden of a home.
He was arrested but would not dis- close any information to gardai and
told them his name was Fred. However, the day after Velayati was arrested, his wife reported him miss- ing and through the identification photograph she brought to the garda station, his identity was established.