Man caged for stealing canaries

More than 20 canaries and three bird cages were plucked out of an aviary and the burglar who swooped for this unusual theft was sentenced to five months behind bars yesterday.

Insp Michael McGuire said Garda Tim McSweeney responded to a call to go to a house at Victoria Terrace, Glenbrook, Passage West, Co Cork, on Aug 27 2012.

The owner of the house, who had an aviary built at the back of his property, told him there had been a break-in and birds and cages had been stolen.

In all 15 canaries, seven canary mules, and one green finch were stolen along with three bird cages. About €50 in damage was caused to a window in the course of the break in and the value of the birds and cages was estimated at a total of €270.

Garda McSweeney was aware that Joe O’Sullivan, aged 27, from Carrigaline had moved to Dock Cottages in Passage West shortly before this and that he also had an aviary. When questioned about the burglary he admitted the crime and said he had sold some of the birds for €80.

Five of the canaries were recovered and returned to the owner. Insp McGuire said the other birds were not recovered. At that precise moment a bird could be heard singing outside courtroom 1 at Anglesea St, and defence solicitor Frank Buttimer suggested that it might have been one of the missing birds.

O’Sullivan, who later moved to Newmarket, Co Cork, also pleaded guilty to a charge off driving without insurance in an incident on Oct 25, 2013, when he was caught drink driving on the Kinsale road.

Judge Leo Malone noted that the accused had 103 previous convictions. He sentenced him to a total of five months in prison yesterday, covering all of the offences to which he pleaded guilty.

Gardaí had asked O’Sullivan for the identity of the person to whom he sold the birds during the investigation but on that point the accused refused to sing, like a canary or otherwise.