Ahern considers prison terms for burglars

THE Government yesterday signalled it was considering mandatory jail terms for criminals who break into people’s homes.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said he had not ruled out tougher laws, a day after the grandfather of magician Keith Barry died following a robbery.

But Mr Ahern warned judges have the final say: “We have endeavoured to bring in mandatory sentencing in relation to serious drug offences and to a certain extent it hasn’t worked well because of the independence of the judiciary and because each case is different.