€600 worth of birds died after thieves left door open

Two men burgled a pet shop and then left the doors open, exposing birds to the cold, which resulted in more than €600 worth of birds dying, a court has heard.

Sean Brady, aged 34, of Clonliffe Rd, Drumcondra, in Dublin, pleaded guilty to burglary at Kinsealy Pet Store on October 24, 2013, while Damien Byrne, aged 45, formerly of Clonliffe Rd and now of Maple Close in Dundalk, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to burglary and careless driving on the same date.

Garda Killian Layden gave evidence at Swords District Court that, at around 10.30pm, the owner of the store, Aidan O’Connor, became aware there was an intruder in the pet store.

As the doors were left open, €660 worth of birds were lost due to exposure to the cold and shock. Blood was found at the scene and was analysed and matched Brady’s DNA.

Mr O’Connor saw a male fleeing from the aviary area and running towards a red BMW. Mr O’Connor struck the vehicle with a hatchet and he had to jump out of the way of the car.

Garda Kevin Farrell said he was travelling to the burglary incident when he came across a red BMW on the Malahide Road being driven without any lights on. The car, which was driven by Byrne, was stopped by gardaí at the Artane roundabout.

Brady, who has 10 previous convictions, including three for the misuse of drugs, is to have his case sent back to Trim Circuit Court on February 3 for a Section 99 re-entry as he received a three-year sentence, suspended for four years in May 2011, for possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Judge Dermot Dempsey remanded Byrne’s case to April 28 at Swords District Court for an updated probation report and a letter from his employer.