Teen acted as decoy in burglary

Sentencing of a 16-year-old girl, who preyed on two elderly women by acting as a “decoy” while their homes were being burgled, has been adjourned pending the outcome of a separate prosecution.

The teenage girl had pleaded guilty at the Children’s Court to taking part in the burglary of the 80-year-old woman’s home, at Finglas Place, Finglas, Dublin, on September 9 last year.

She also admitted burgling the home of an 80-year-old woman in Ballyfermot, Dublin on December 2 last.

The young west Dublin girl, who has seven previous convictions, had been detained by a court in Co Kerry earlier this week in relation to another burglary offence and is awaiting the outcome of another burglary case in a court in Co Galway, which is to be heard next month.

Judge Catherine Murphy today adjourned the girls’ Dublin cases pending the outcome of the prosecution in Co Galway.

Garda Deirdre Horan of Ballyfermot Station had said that the girl went to the home of an elderly woman.

“She pushed her way in the door into the hall and pretended she was from the locality. She said to her that she had to check if the woman was okay.”

The elderly woman brought the girl into her kitchen and gave her a glass of water. The girl engaged the woman in idle conversation meanwhile a female accomplice came in the front door and went upstairs.

However, the woman’s nephew visited then by chance and saw the accomplice coming back down the stairs. The girl was caught but her accomplice, whom she refused to name, managed to escape.

Garda Kevin Sayers had also told Judge Murphy that he arrived at a house in Finglas to find its front door open.

He described the incident as a “deception type of burglary. The girl lured the woman to the back garden and then an accomplice went in the front.”

“I came across the injured party around the side of the house with the accused. She said that the girl had asked if she could go to her back garden to get into the neighbouring house.”

“She claimed she was friends with the neighbours and had knocked on their door but received no answer and wanted to see if she could get in through the back.”

Meanwhile his colleague Garda Joseph Glackin had entered the elderly woman’s house and found that it was being burgled by an accomplice of the teenage girl.

The girl, who was supported in court by her mother, was further remanded in custody to Oberstown Girls’ Centre until April 20 next for sentencing.

Judge Murphy said the girl had “acted as a decoy” and had been involved “in very serious matters".

The defence counsel said the girl had been working at the behest of her ex-boyfriend.