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A BURREN girl, whose pet goat was stolen more than three months ago, is to write to Santa Claus asking for her safe return.

Nine year-old Rosa O’Dea has been searching for her pet goat, Hazel, since she was stolen from a farm close to Carron in mid-August.

According to Rosa’s mother, Regina O’Dea, a number of goats have been stolen in the area in recent month and her daughter is still hopeful that her pet goat may be returned.

“She is still really upset, but she is mad as well. She is quite cross that anyone would think of stealing her goat. She has written to Santa Claus, asking will he be able to help and bring Hazel back,” said Regina.

“We are just hoping that someone will recognise Hazel and get in touch. It’s a long shot we know, she could be anywhere in the country by now. She may have been passed on to people who wouldn’t realise that she has been stolen. Rosa is still really bothered about it and still speaks about it all the time.”

Hazel and a male goat Bill, were both bottle reared by Rosa since they were kids. After searching locally for months, the family are hopeful that someone may recognise the goat and return her before Christmas.

“Rosa bottle reared both the goats. Hazel and Billy, and now Billy just follows everyone around the farm, he just misses Hazel so much.

“He has even followed walkers and gone off the road looking for her. He has never done that before,” said Regina. There is no way that Hazel would have roamed off. She has been there for the past four years with Billy and they stay together all the time. When goats are bottle fed and kept as pets, they don’t tend to stray.

“They took the female goat and left the male – the male would not have been much use to them. We are convinced that she was stolen, this has happened to a lot of people in the area. We’ve heard from a lot of the local people. Besides, she would not have gone on her own – the two of them have been together since they were born and they probably really miss each other now as well.”

Anyone with any information about Hazel’s whereabout is asked to ring Regina on (087) 4143598.

A MOTHER of two felt like a “prisoner” in her own home because of years of harassment from her neighbour in Baref eld, a court heard. Patrizia Crowley was giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial of married couple Ann (64) and Martin (67) McLoughlin, at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court.

Recalling an alleged encounter with Ann McLoughlin at the Crow ley’s home at Creggard Baref eld on Febraury 14, 2012, Ms Crowley told the jury, “I got an awful pain in my chest and my legs were like jelly”, following something allegedly said by Ms McLoughlin, which she de nies saying.

Asked by Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ste phen Coughlan, how all of this made her feel, Ms Crowley said she was “constantly terrif ed”. “I feel like a prisoner in my own home”.

Ann McLoughlin, with an address at Ballymaconna, Baref eld, was ac quitted by a jury last week of harass ing Raymond Crowley and Patrizia Crowley at their home in Baref eld on dates unknown between October, 2006 and March, 2012.

Ms Crowley outlined to the jury a number of encounters she had with Martin McLoughlin between 2004 and 2012.

Ms Crowley told the court she and her husband decided to move to Bar ef eld to be close to her father follow ing the death of her mother.

Ms Crowley said she f rst met Martin McLoughlin when she and her husband visited the site in Creg gard in 2004. She told the jury Mr McLoughlin told the couple not to buy the site because it was a bad site.

In October 2006, Ms Crowley said a black pipe was broken when a dig ger opened an entrance to the site. She said Martin McLoughlin came over and started “ranting and rav ing”, telling her husband that was strike one and he would be sorry. “I had my three and a half year-old son with me. I felt very uncomforta ble, intimidated”, she said. Ms Crowley recalled an encoun ter on March 19, 2010 when Mr McLoughlin threatened to kill her husband. She told the jury she was sitting in a car with her children about three feet away when Mr McLoughlin told Ray Crowley, “I will get my lads to beat the s*** out of you and bury you in the wall”. Ms Crowley told Mr Coughlan that after seeking legal advice, the couple decided to install CCTV and log all encounters with the McLoughlins in a diary. Ms Crowley said she thought Mr McLoughlin was going to drive his tractor into her car as she exited the area in June 2011.

She said she was in her car at the narrowest point on a rural road when Mr McLoughlin’s tractor came to wards her. “He sat in his tractor laughing at me”, she said.

“My legs were shaking. I had an awful pain in my chest. I could hard ly breathe”, she added.

In July 2011, Ms Crowley said she was at home with her two children when she saw Mr McLoughlin wear ing a baseball cap and a scarf around his face, walking near the boundary of the Crowley’s property.

“He was leaning in over the wall…I thought he was going to come in and kill us”, she recalled to the jury.

She gave evidence of other occa sions of being at home when her husband was at work and Mr McLough lin would be around the property staring in and making “groaning and grunting” noises. “I’m terrif ed for myself, my family and my kids”, she added. She said, “I won’t go outside the door and walk around the garden unless Raymond is with me. I am too terrif ed. If I have to go see my neighbours straight across the road, I will drive across the road.” Ms Crowley recalled how on Sep tember 13, 2011, she had just returned from the school run when she saw Mr McLoughlin coming down the road ahead of her. She said she pulled her car to the side of the road to let him pass. She said the accused put his f st up towards her as he passed. Asked what effect this had on her, Ms Crowley told the jury, “I had an awful pain in my chest. I could hadly breathe”. Ms Crowley continued, “I only moved to Baref eld for the quiet life and the peace and I never got it”. Martin McLoughlin, a retired of f cer with the Department of Agri culture with an address at Ballyma conna, Baref eld, was found guilty of harassing Raymond and Patrizia Crowley at Cregarrd Baref eld on dates unknown between October 20006 and March 2012. On Friday, the jury also found him guilty of threatening to kill Raymond Crowley at his home on March 19, 2010. He was acquitted of making another threat to kill Mr Crowley on September 24, 2011. However the jury found him guilty of causing criminal damage to trees and hedges belonging to the Crow leys on September 24, 2011. Mr McLoughlin, a father of sev en, was remanded on bail to appear again in court on January 12, 2015.

A FORMER factory worker who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography at his home in Ennis has avoided an immediate prison sentence.

The 49-year-old father of one pleaded guilty in March to possession of f ve images and 43 movies of child

A KILRUSH man accused of stealing ladies underwear has said the charge is all a “mix-up”.

Jonathan Kenny (30), with an address at Elm Drive, Kilrush is charged with stealing female underwear from Penny’s Shop, Francis Street, Ennis on November 3, 2014.

Mr Kenny appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Inspector John O’Sullivan handed in a schedule of the arrest, charge and caution of the accused.

Insp O’Sullivan told Judge Patrick Durcan the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed the matter suitable for disposal in the district court.

Defence solicitor John Casey said his client could be put on his election in respect of the charge.

Judge Durcan put the charge to Mr Kenny and asked him if he wanted to have the case heard in the district court or before a Judge and jury in the circuit court.

Mr Kenny elected to have his case heard in the district court.

After reading out details of the charge in the busy courtroom, Judge Durcan put it to Mr Kenny, who was standing near the dock, that he seemed “amused” by the matter.

“I noticed when I read the charge to you, a grin spread from your right ear to your left”, the Judge said.

Mr Kenny replied that the alleged incident sounded different when it was read out.

“It was just a mix-up between me and my girlfriend”, he added.

Mr Casey said he required a short adjournment of the case.

Mr Kenny was remanded on bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on December 10, when he is due to indicate how he intends pleading to the charge.

A HEROIN addict who threatened to bite a taxi driver in the face if he didn’t give him back the fare has received a three-year prison sentence.

Jonathan Higgins (28) had only just been released from prison when he carried out the robbery against taxi driver Ken Murphy at Ballyliddane West, Sixmilebridge, on June 12, 2014.

At Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Friday, Judge Gerald Keys imposed a three year prison sentence with the f nal year suspended. Judge Keys said taxi drivers should be able to go about their business day or night without the threat of robbery or violence.

The victim declined the opportuni- ty to submit a victim impact report but Judge Keys said it was reasonable to assume the attack had some effect on the man.

Mr Higgins, with addresses at Brother Russell House, Mulgrave Street, Limerick and Laurel Lodge, Clare Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to robbing € 50 from Ken Murphy at Ballyliddane West, Sixmilebridge, on June 12, 2014.

Detective Garda David Laing of Shannon Garda Station told the court gardaí received a complaint of robbery from Mr Murphy on June 13.

The court heard that on June 12, Mr Higgins asked the taxi driver to bring him from Ennis to Sixmilebridge.

Mr Higgins originally offered to only pay € 20 but later agreed to pay the full € 35 fare.

He gave Mr Murphy a € 50 note and got back his change. Det Laing said the taxi stopped at the Applegreen shop at Captain Macs cross in Ennis. Mr Higgins went inside and bought tobacco.

Det Laing said that en route to Sixmilebridge, Mr Higgins told the driver he had been in prison.

Det Laing said that when the taxi arrived in Sixmilebridge, Mr Higgins asked the driver to go towards the Killaloe road.

The car eventually ended up at a dead end where Mr Higgins pulled the handbrake and became aggressive towards Mr Murphy.

The court heard that the victim told gardaí, “He was shouting he would do me and bite my face”.

“He put his head over me in a man- ner that he was going to bite me”, Mr Murphy said.

Det Laing said Mr Murphy decided to cut his losses and give Mr Higgins the € 50 note.

The court heard Mr Higgins gave the taxi driver a false name and told him he didn’t care if he called the guards.

Det Laing said Mr Higgins was identif ed from CCTV footage ob tained from the Applegreen store.

Mr Higgins has 34 previous convictions including for burglary, theft, trespass and robbery.

Det Laing agreed with defence counsel Brian McInerney’s statement that Mr Higgins is a “chronic heroin addict”.

Counsel said his client came from a dysfunctional background, started abusing drugs at an early age and spent a period of time living rough.

He said Mr Higgins, who is in custody serving a sentence, is engaging with drug rehab services in prison and is also taking classes in English, art and music.

Counsel asked Judge Keys to take into account Mr Higgins’ admissions and early guilty plea which he said spared the victim having the re-live the trauma of the robbery in a trial.

Mr McInerney said this was a spontaneous crime with no element of planning.

Judge Keys imposed a three year sentence with the f nal year suspend ed on condition Mr Higgins continue drug rehabilitation on his release from prison and obey all directions of the Probation Services.

AN organisation that provides assistance to homeless people in Clare says an increasing number of fami lies are seeking their help.

HELP the Homeless and Vulnerable says it has provided food and sup port to three families in Clare in the past 10 days.

The Clare organisation, which helps homeless people in Clare and around Ireland, is holding a number of events in Ennis over the next few weeks to highlight the issue of home lessness.

Volunteers will hold a soup run at O’Connell Square, Ennis tonight at 9pm.

“We are going to have a stand and we will be giving out soup to people that need it.

“We are in touch with quite a lot of people at this time of the year”, a spokeswoman for HELP said.

The event will be followed by a sleep out in memory of the late Josef Pavelka in Ennis town centre on December 22.

In 2013, Mr Pavelka’s plight received national attention when a district court judge described it as a “scandal” that Mr Pavelka was liv- ing in a public toilet in the Market in Ennis. Five weeks after the remarks of Judge Patrick Durcan, Mr Pavelka’s body was found in a lane-way behind Supermacs on Ennis’s O’Connell Street late on a Saturday night.

Mr Pavelka’s remains were buried at Drumcliffe cemetery in Ennis af ter his family did not seek the repa triation of his body.

An inquest subsequently found that the Czech national had toxic levels of alcohol in his system when he died of a heart attack in May 2013.

Volunteers will sleep out in Ennis in memory of Mr Pavelka.

“Its not a fundraiser, its just some thing we’re doing to highlight homelessness and remember Josef.

“There will also be a few musicians playing on the night”, the spokeswoman said.

HELP volunteers will provide Christmas dinner to homeless people at an event in Roslevan on December 25.

Further details are available on the HELP the Homeless and Vulnerable Facebook page.

There are also plans to provide a drop in centre for homeless people in Ennis.

A GHANIAN national who collected social welfare payments totalling € 4,160 for a friend who had left the country has escaped a jail sentence. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Patrick Durcan said he would impose a community service order on Prince Kuffor (31). Judge Durcan said the option of imposing a maximum sentence of two years in prison, less allowances, was open to him.

However the judge said he did not see why the Irish people and State “should be further indebted to tune of € 1,500 or € 1,600 a week to keep Prince Kuffor in the comfort of one of our prisons”.

Mr Kuffor, with an address at Abbey Court, Ennis, was charged with 26 counts of dishonestly by deception inducing Tony Reddan to pay out 26 separate payments of € 160 by using a social welfare card in the name of Alan Blaise Rukundo.

The offences occurred at Sixmilebridge Post Off ce between Decem ber, 2013, and May 2014.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Judge Patrick Durcan the charges were replicas of each other and could be treated as one offence. He told the court the accused went to the Post Off ce in Sixmilebridge over the course of 26 weeks to claim social welfare payments for a man named Alan Blaise Rukundo. Insp Kennedy said Mr Kuffor, a father of two, was also claiming his own social welfare payment in Ennis. “Mr Rukundo had left the jurisdiction for some time but had stayed on the books here,” he added. Insp Kennedy said, “Mr Kuffor was benef ting to the tune of € 50 a week for acting as agent for Mr Rukundo.” The court heard the Department of Social Protection is now taking a € 100 a week from Mr Kuffor’s social welfare payment. A total of € 500 has so far been paid back.

Defence solicitor Stiofán Fitzpatrick told the court, Mr Kuffor was approached by Mr Rukundo who said his wife was sick and he had to go with her to Italy for treatment.

Mr Rukondo asked Mr Kuffor to collect his social welfare.

Mr Fitzpatrick said his client believed he was not doing any wrong, particularly as Mr Rukundo came back at regular intervals to sign on.

He said the € 50 payment was to cover Mr Kuffor’s travelling expenses from Ennis to Sixmilebridge.

He said Mr Kuffor, who has resi- dency in Ireland, realised something was seriously wrong when he was approached by gardaí in June.

Judge Durcan said this was “highly organised criminal activity, Inspector, very well organised”. He said Ireland had always been a welcoming country but Mr Kuffor “has completely and f agrantly abused that welcome”.

Having regard to Mr Kuffor’s previous good record, Judge Durcan said he would impose a community sentence order if the accused is suitable for such work. The case was adjourned to December 17 for a pre sentence probation report.

A SHANNON man who admitted stealing a phone at a house party has escaped an immediate jail sentence.

However Judge Patrick Durcan told Kenneth Ryan (21) that he would have no hesitation in sending him to jail if reoffends over the next two years.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Durcan imposed a a two month sentence on Mr Ryan after he pleaded guilty to the theft of a mobile phone from a house in Ballycasey, Shannon on July 27, 2014.

The court heard Mr Ryan, with an address at Tradaree Court, Shannon, committed the offence two months after being placed on a probation bond.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court the phone was discovered on Mr Ryan after he was arrested by gardaí for a public order offence in Shannon. The court heard the phone had been stolen from a woman who had attended a house party in the hours prior to Mr Ryan being detected.

Mr Ryan has previous convictions for drugs, criminal damage and public order. Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client developed quite a signif cant problem with alcohol at an early age but has taken steps to address the issue.

“I would say this is very much a falling off the wagon situation”, she added.

Urging the court to be lenient, Ms Godfrey said her client is a young man with a future.

Judge Durcan imposed a two month prison sentence, suspended on condition Mr Ryan enter into a bond to be of good behaviour.

Mr Ryan entered into the bond. Judge Durcan warned Mr Ryan that if he fell off the wagon again over the next two years, he would serve to full two months.

A TEENAGER who robbed a handbag from a female pensioner in Shannon has been spared a criminal conviction.

At Ennis Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Judge Carroll Moran applied the Probation Act in respect of the 17 year-old after being told of the teenager’s clean record and “excellent engagement” with the Probation Services. An 18 year-old man, who admitted a charge of handling stolen property, also received the benef t of the Probation Act. The charges arose following an incident at Tullyvarraga Hill, Shannon on July 9, 2012.

At a sentencing hearing in March, Detective Garda Roddy Burke of Shannon Garda Station told prosecuting counsel Stephen Coughlan BL, that an elderly woman was walking on a private footpath when the then 16 year-old came up behind her and snatched her handbag.

The woman gave chase but slipped on a step and fell. She was hospitalised for eight days and treated for a cracked pelvis and chipped hip.

A then 16 year-old pleaded guilty to robbing the woman’s handbag, con- taining € 45. A then 17-year-old boy, with no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to handling stolen property.

Final sentencing in the case was adjourned to allow for the preparation of reports from the Probation Services. Neither of the accused have any previous convictions.

Judge Carroll Moran said, “This was a serious matter. The injured party was 73 years-old at the time and was targeted in a handbag snatch”. He said the woman showed “great fortitude” in giving chase to the accused. He said the targeting of elderly people is a serious matter, that in normal circumstances would warrant serious punishment.

But Judge Moran noted from the report that there had been an “excellent engagement” from the now 17-yearold with the Probation Services.

He said the services are of the view the accused will not offend again.

Judge Moran said he did not want to criminalise this young man anymore than he had to. Neither accused has come to Garda attention since the incident. He applied the Probation Act in respect of both teenagers and. Both accused entered into bonds to be of good behaviour.

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny (FG) will receive a hot reception when he visits Shannon next Monday with hundreds of anti-water charge campaigners expected to take to the streets in protest.Clare Says No To Water Charges and the Right to Water group will host separate protests in Shannon on the day, with the Taoiseach in Clare to open a new facility at Genworth.

In the wake of violent scenes in Dublin over the weekend, both Clare groups said yesterday that they want the Shannon protests to remain peaceful.

“We don’t want to see what happened in Tallaght. We don’t want things getting out of hand or any problems occurring. We want this to be completely peaceful,” said Shannon councillor and member of the Right To Water group, Mike McKee (SF).

“I would condemn any riotous or overly boisterous behaviour. You get that in certain places and I would certainly hope that it will not happen here.

“We would demand that the people who come out keep it peaceful, oth- erwise we don’t want them with us.” These sentiments were echoed by Paul Whitmore of the Clare Says No To Water Charges group, who also announced a third protest march for Ennis on November 29.

“We are planning a peaceful protest. We want to get the message across that Irish Water should be abolished and the powers should go back to the county council,” he said.