This article is from page 4 of the 2012-02-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THREE men have received prison sentences for their role in an aggravated burglary in Sixmilebridge two years ago.
At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, sentences were imposed on Simon Gentles and Noel and Martin O’Callaghan.
A 14-year-old boy, his mother and his elder brother were victims of an aggravated burglary at their home in Ardkyle, Sixmilebridge, on January 7 (2010). A man, armed with a loaded shotgun, kicked in the door of the house and demanded to know the whereabouts of a safe.
Simon Gentles (25) with a previous address at Casement Drive, Finglas West, Dublin and Noel (50) and Martin O’Callaghan (23), both with a previous address at 8 Cronan Lawn, Shannon and Fergus Drive, Shannon, were all charged with aggravated burglary. All three men had pleaded guilty to the charge.
Of the three men’s roles in the burglary, the court heard that Gentles entered the house with a loaded shotgun and demanded to know where the safe was. Martin O’Callaghan and Gentles planned the robbery while Martin’s father, Noel, played a “lesser role” in the crime. The court heard that Noel O’Callaghan did not know a gun would be used in the incident.
Judge Carroll Moran said that after prodding the woman in the stomach with the shotgun, Gentles told the boy that he “would blow his mother’s head off” if he was not told where the safe was. He said the family had been in “mortal danger of their lives”.
Judge Moran said extensive phone evidence had implicated the accused. He said two cars had been used to bring Gentles and Martin O’Callaghan to the house. A car was also used to transport the gun, the court heard. Judge Moran commended the mother for her “fortitude in this appalling incident”.
He said, “The use of a gun in a criminal enterprise, especially burglary, is a very serious aggravating factor.”
Acknowledging all three men’s guilty pleas, Judge Moran sentenced Gentles to four years in prison; Martin O’Callaghan to three years in prison; and Noel O’Callaghan to three years in prison.