'Old fool for love' in car chase was member of gang that held up family 8 years ago, court hears

A Shannon grandfather who led gardaí on a car pursuit with his girlfriend in the car was a member of a gang that held up a terrified family at gun-point eight years ago.

At Ennis Circuit Court, solicitor for the State Aisling Casey confirmed the previously undisclosed previous conviction for aggravated burglary against Noel O’Callaghan (56) where he received a three-year jail term in February 2012.

In the case, Mr O’Callaghan of Cronan Lawn, Shannon along with two others, committed the aggravated burglary of a family at Sixmilebridge on January 7, 2010 where during the course of the incident, a loaded sawn off shot-gun was prodded into the stomach of a Co Clare mother and she was told she would have her head blown off.

In the same incident, the sawn-off shot gun was pointed in the face of the 14-year-old son of the woman.

Ms Casey told Ennis Circuit Court that Mr O’Callaghan wasn’t the main aggressor in the 2010 aggravated burglary but that the previous conviction “is a serious one”.

She said that the conviction against Mr O’Callaghan was for a serious incident where a gun was produced against a family of two adults and three children on that occasion.

In reply to the new information, solicitor for Mr O’Callaghan, Tara Godfrey said that Mr O’Callaghan has served his time for that offence.

Mr O’Callaghan was in court appealing a four-month prison term he received in the district court last year for the dangerous driving near the village of Quin on Mary 3, 2016.

Ms Casey stated there were five dangerous overtaking incidents between Dromoland roundabout off the M18 and the village of Quin.

In the incident, off the M18 near Dromoland Castle in Co Clare, Mr O’Callaghan of Cronan Lawn, Shannon fled from an unmarked Garda car in his 09 Toyota Avensis after his front seat passenger and new then girl-friend - 20 years younger than him - told him ‘I’ve got cocaine on me’.

In a high speed chase along minor roads where speed limits of 80 kph and 50 kph apply, Mr O’Callaghan was driving in excess of 110 kph before being eventually apprehended by Gardai in the village of Quin.

In the district court, solicitor for Mr O’Callaghan, Tara Godfrey said: “There is a saying ‘there is no fool like an old fool’ and Mr O’Callaghan falls in love and has a new girlfriend.”

Ms Godfrey said: “The Gardaí are seen on the road and she tells him that she has cocaine. He did not know about the cocaine until she told him and he didn’t know if she had a little bit of talcum powder or a sugar bag of talcum powder.”

She said: “Mr O’Callaghan shouldn't have been going out with this woman...He thought that she was fantastic.”

In the district court where the jail term was imposed, Judge Patrick Durcan said that the elderly, mothers with prams and children on their way home from school were put in danger “by the madness of Mr O'Callaghan's driving”.

In the circuit court today, Judge Tom O’Donnell adjourned the case to June for a Probation Report to be carried out on Mr O’Callaghan.

Ms Godfrey said that the Probation Report hasn’t been done before now as Mr O’Callaghan “is trying to relocate to England and that was the basis for the lack of contact with the Probation Services”

Judge O’Donnell further remanded Mr O’Callaghan on bail to June 25 for the preparation of a probation report.