This article is from page 17 of the 2012-10-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
A SLOVAKIAN man has received 10-month prison sentence for his role in the break in of a well-known family run pub in Ennis earlier this year.
Alcohol valued at € 545 and € 500 cash were stolen from Brogan’s Bar and Restaurant on O’Connell Street during a break-in in the early hours of May 28.
€ 300 worth of damage was also caused to a wooden door during the incident. At Ennis District Court on Friday, Milan Rac (21), with an address at 3 Hazelmore, Clonroadmore, Ennis, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and criminal damage.
Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the pub as entered at around 3am.
He said the rear door was forced open and money was taken from the till along with seven bottles of spirits.
CCTV footage subsequently identified Mr Rac as one of the people who entered the premises.
The court heard that no compensa- tion has been paid to the owners.
Solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client has received very little family support since moving to Ireland.
She told the court that Mr Rac was in the company of other individuals when the break in occurred.
She said Mr Rac had told her he only received € 30 or € 40 from what was taken on the night.
Ms Godfrey requested that the court consider a suspended sentence or engagement with the probation services.
She added, “This is a young man who needs some help or support.”
Judge Patrick Durcan said Mr Rac had been convicted of drink driving 10 weeks before he “embarked on the commission of this appalling criminal activity.”
He said that at a time when the pub trade is under pressure because of the recession, the break in at Brogan’s represented “an assault on the viability of Ennis as a town.”
Judge Durcan added that the owners of the pub had the right to expect that their premises would not be broken into and ransacked.
He said such crimes can lead to families and staff no longer feeling safe.
He continued, “If we continue to allow people to break in at three in the morning, then it will not be long before they break in at three in the afternoon.”
Noting the accused’s previous convictions for burglary, Judge Durcan imposed sentences of six months and four months to be served consecutively.
Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.