This article is from page 10 of the 2012-01-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A MAN has been convicted of the burglary of Ennis Golf Club last year.
Paul Daly (22) with an address at 13B Considine Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, theft and handling a stolen prescription pad at Ennis District Court last week.
Insp John Galvin told the court that gardaí found the accused on the premises of Ennis Golf Club on February 20, 2011, after they responded to a burglary call.
He said that on November 4, 2011, Daly was observed on CCTV getting into a parked car outside the Snack Shack at Abbey Street car park. He was approached by gardaí who not- ed that he was wearing gloves, the court heard.
On November 14, 2011, the court heard, gardaí received a call that a prescription pad had been stolen and given back to the Family Medical Centre in Ennis.
Insp Galvin said the accused was identified and subsequently arrested.
Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client found the prescription pad, made use of it and returned it to the doctor who then telephoned the gardaí.
In relation to the incident outside the Snack Shack, Ms Godfrey said the owner had been in the back of the premises getting ready to open. She said the van was open and her client entered it looking for a roll because he was hungry. She said it wasn’t his intention to steal the car.
In relation to the burglary at Ennis Golf Club, Ms Godfrey said that while her client had been on the premises when the gardaí arrived, “he certainly did not make away with anything”. Ms Godfrey said all of these offences were committed in the “context of a serious drug addiction”. She said her client had commenced a methadone programme and is getting on well with it.
Judge Aeneas McCarthy convicted Daly on the burglary charge and sentenced him to eight months in prison, taking into account his guilty plea. He imposed a further two-month sentence to be served consecutive to the previous sentence.
Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.