School was ransacked after birthday party, court hears

A teenager’s celebrations of his 18th birthday party with friends turned into the ransacking of their local school and almost €10,000 in criminal damage.

Birthday boy Ciarán Conway of Valley View, Aglish, Coachford, Co Cork, was at Cork District Court yesterday on a charge of stealing a cash register from Ballincollig Community School.

Det Garda Pat Condon investigated the ransacking of the school on the night.

Shortly afterwards he found Conway some distance from the school with the cash register.

The defendant was trying to break into it at the time.

Insp Michael McGuire said yesterday that access to the school was gained through the roof on the night of Nov 18, 2011. Property was taken and the premises was ransacked.

Det Garda Condon lifted footprints from the scene and they matched the footwear worn by the defendant on the night.

Defence solicitor Elaine O’Sullivan said Conway was pleading guilty yesterday to stealing the cash register. Insp McGuire said that while €10,000 worth of damage was done to the school, there were a number of people involved in the break-in.

Judge Olann Kelleher said that in view of the defendant’s youth — he was now 19 — and the seriousness of the matter, he would put it back for eight weeks to allow time for the preparation of a probation report.

Judge Kelleher told Conway: “It is in your interests to co-operate fully with the probation service, it is a serious matter.”