The sentences handed down at Limerick Circuit Court on December 15 to two cousins, who were involved in a burglary in which the bachelor homeowner died of a heart attack when he went to challenge the intruders, is to be appealed by the DPP as unduly lenient.

Two criminals, both with long lists of previous convictions, ignored pleas for help from a dying man’s sister as they fled from his home which they had just burgled. They have now been jailed, but could be due for release within 16 months.

A priest who administered last rites on a man who collapsed and died outside his Co Limerick home after being confronted by intruders, has described the 62-year-old as a “thorough gentleman”.