Gardaí caught burglar in ex-Taoiseach's garden

A serial burglar caught hiding in former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds' gardens after attempting to break into three houses has been jailed for two years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Aidan Dorney, aged 31, of Chelmsford Road, Ranelagh pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary and one count of trespassing in the Merrion Road area on June 14, 2002.

Garda James O'Leary said Dorney had 22 previous convictions since 1989, mainly for burglary. He was also addicted to alcohol and was possibly experiencing psychiatric problems.

Gardaí received a complaint from the residents of a house on Shrewsbury Road, Dublin 4 on the night of June 14, 2002 that an intruder had been seen in their backgarden.

While gardaí searched the area for the suspect, they received additional complaints from two other houses in the area of a break-in and an attempted burglary.

Garda O'Leary said that shortly afterwards they spotted Dorney hiding in the shrubs of Mr Reynolds backgarden where he was apprehended.

Cash consisting of €3,435 and some foreign currency as well as several credit card receipts were found on him.

He later admitted to also stealing a laptop from one of the houses he burgled that night.

Dorney made an impassioned appeal to Judge Desmond Hogan to defer his sentence for a later date as he was amending his ways and had recently invested €30,000 in a business venture with great potential for success.

"It [the business] is going very well - we are going to be very successful," Dorney said and told Judge Hogan that he knew his record was 'very bad' but he was 'a straight person' who had been trying for 'a long while' to lead a crime-free life.

Judge Hogan denied the request to defer his sentence saying that he had previously adjourned the sentence hearing for eight weeks which should have given Dorney sufficient time to put his affairs in order.

He said the sentence hearing, therefore, could not have come as a surprise.

Judge Hogan added that he did not understand what Dorney meant when he said he had been trying for a long while to amend his ways as he had committed a burglary as recently as last October, after the offences that he was currently being jailed for.

"You may be less than accurate in your recollection of your criminal activities, Mr Dorney," Judge Hogan said, handing down a two years jail sentence.

Dorney put his head in his hands and sobbed and continued to make distressed noises as he was led away by the prison officers.