‘Stoned’ burglar stole bank documents

A ‘stoned’ burglar got into the garage beside a house in Sunday’s Well in Cork in the middle of the night and stole bank documents from a car.

Owen Murphy, aged 26, of Ballinvorrostig, Carrigaline, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to the crime at Cork District Court yesterday.

Inspector Michael McGuire said Murphy had 22 previous convictions, half of them for traffic matters and the rest for burglaries and thefts.

Defence solicitor Michael Quinlan said of the burglary last September in Sunday’s Well, “At the time [Sept 4, 2013], he was abusing drugs. He says himself that on the night, he was stoned.

“His car broke down. They [Murphy and one other man who was not before the court] went into the garage. They did not cause any disruption of the house or the people in it.”

He said the defendant had turned his life around since and was about to start a job.

Insp McGuire said that in fairness to Murphy, while the offence was committed in the middle of the night, the garage was adjacent to the house but was not part of the house.

There was a folder containing bank documentation in the car and they went away with that.

Judge Olann Kelleher adjourned the case for a week to allow time for a report on the probation service’s view on Murphy’s suitability for a community service order.

The judge did not specify the number of hours of community service on the burglary charge.