Teen pleads guilty to damaging gravestones

A youth who pleaded guilty to destroying Victorian gravestone monuments dating from 1835 at Glasnevin Cemetery to the value of €100,000 has been remanded on continuing bail until sentencing on April 18, 2005.

Brian O’Connell, aged 18, of Doolinstown, Trim, changed his plea to guilty following legal argument on day three of his Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial.

O’Connell earlier pleaded not guilty to five counts of unlawful use of a mechanical digger and criminal damage of the digger, a lawnmower, a tractor and 48 gravestone monuments at Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road on February 17, 2003.

The jury was earlier told by prosecuting counsel, Ms Mary Rose Gearty BL, that staff arrived at the cemetery on February 18, 2003 and found a mechanical digger had been driven through it and a large number of monuments had been overturned and destroyed.

She read into evidence a statement from Mr George McCullough, chief executive of "Dublin Cemeteries Committee" who said the cemetery had been locked by security staff on the evening in question and he was made aware of the damage the next morning.

He said a mechanical digger had been used as a "battering ram" to smash 48 monuments within an area called QC Walk.

The monuments dated from 1835 and were described by Mr McCullough as "some of the finest examples of Victorian sculpture and stone masonry in the world today". He valued the damaged caused at €100,000.

The jury also heard the digger, used to dig graves, had been crashed at the rear of the cemetery and was damaged to the tune of €16,000. More than €1,000 worth of damage was also done to a "ride-on" lawn mower and tractor.

The owner of the digger, Frank Fanning, a civil engineering contractor, said in a statement that the person who started the machine would have had a good knowledge of such vehicles.

Judge Yvonne Murphy thanked the jury and excused members from further service for three years.

She ordered a Probation and Welfare Service report to be compiled for O’Connell’s April 18 sentence date.