Burglar 'wore high-visibility jacket'

A heroin addict who wore a high-visibility jacket while he carried out hotel burglaries after stealing room keys from a cleaning lady’s trolley has been given a four-year suspended sentence today.

David Stafford (aged 31), of Saint Maignenn’s Terrace, Old Kilmainham Road, Kilmainham told gardaí he wore the jacket to "blend in" because he noticed there was a lot of builders in the general area.

He stole a plasma TV, which he later sold to buy drugs, a laptop, computer software and hardware, car keys, designer sunglasses, a lady’s handbag, two bottles of Budweiser and a bottle of Vodka from rooms at the Beacon Hotel, Sandyford, on August 18, 2006.

Stafford pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the thefts and to producing a screwdriver with intent to intimidate on that date.

He also pleaded guilty to theft of goods to the value of €200 from a lady’s handbag in a city centre office on July 4, 2006; and to breaking into The Royal Irish Automobile Club, Dublin 2, on July 6, 2006 and stealing car keys which he used in attempting to take a BMW parked there but was caught by gardaí.

He had eight previous convictions which were mostly for burglary and larceny.

Detective Garda Ultan Sherlock told Ms Karen O’Connor BL, prosecuting, that a guest at the hotel spotted Stafford, wearing the high visibility jacket, leaving his hotel room.

The man immediately went to the hotel reception when he found he could not get access to the room. He again saw Stafford and he was carrying a bag with items that belonged to him and his partner.

He grabbed the bag, but Stafford produced a screwdriver and threatened to stab him with if he did not let go.

Det Gda Sherlock said the man persisted but Stafford managed to get away. He then ran from the building, despite the guest’s efforts to stop him by jamming the revolving door with his foot.

Stafford was identified through wife’s credit card which he dropped the during the scuffle. He was also clearly identifiable through CCTV footage at the hotel. He admitted taking room keys from a cleaning lady’s trolley but said he had since destroyed them.

Det Gda Sherlock said all the items, apart from the plasma TV were recovered.

Mr Pieter Le Vert BL defending, submitted that Stafford fully co-operated with gardaí and readily admitted that he carried out the thefts to feed his drug addiction.

He had since made "extensive efforts to rehabilitate" and it seemed if he continued on this path he would become a person that could be trusted in the community.

Judge Katherine Delahunt said that gardaí were satisfied that Stafford’s crimes were committed purely to feed his drug addiction or pay off the "debts" resulting from it.

She said as he had now completed a drug treatment programme successfully and engaged fully with the probation service, she felt that a custodial sentence "may not be appropriate".

Judge Delahunt suspended the four-year prison term and adjourned the case to February to see if Stafford is suitable for community service, "to pay back to the community some of the damage you have caused".