Three men on ‘Wild West’ style crime spree

A seven-hour rampage in which three Limerick criminals struck fear into rural communities on the outskirts of the city, “smacked of the Wild West”, a judge said yesterday when jailing all three.

James O’Shea, aged 27 of Anthony’s Lodge, Roo West, Ardnacrusha; Jeffrey Kelly, aged 26, of 31 Willow Grove, Old Cork Road; and Tony Kelly aged 26, of 121, O’Malley Park, Southill, pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to charges involving theft, burglary, criminal damage and the illegal taking of a car during the early hours of May 27, 2015. Tony Kelly also pleaded guilty to additional charges of attacking and robbing a woman on her way home from bingo and threatening students while out socialising.

One couple, residing near Annacotty who had more than €10,000 worth of property taken from their home as they slept, told the court of the trauma the break-in had caused. In a victim impact statement, the couple said since the raid on their home, their peace of mind had vanished as they fear it could happen again. The woman now refuses to stay alone in the house if her husband is away.