Elderly Cork woman woke to see burglars posing as Gardaí in her bedroom

Two men confessed yesterday to their parts in a burglary of the home of an 83-year-old woman who woke to see two intruders telling her they were gardaí checking out burglaries.

More than €2,700 in cash was stolen from this woman at her Cork city home in the course of this crime.

Yesterday at Cork District Court two men appeared by video link from prison.

Solicitors for both accused indicated that the defendants were pleading guilty to this and all the other burglary-related charges against them.

Christopher Jones, aged 27, and Anthony Horgan, aged 44, both of no fixed address were not formally arraigned on the charges yesterday because they were appearing on video link and the fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions has not yet given directions on whether the cases will be dealt with at district or circuit court level.

Despite these factors, Jones and Horgan both indicated that they will be pleading guilty to all counts against them.

Eddie Burke, solicitor for Jones, even asked Judge Kelleher to be aware that Jones had been prepared to plead guilty a fortnight ago. Mr Burke said the that on that court appearance there was a breakdown in phone communication and Jones was not in a position to talk to his solicitor to instruct him that he wanted to go forward to the circuit court on a signed plea of guilty.

“He wanted me to give that information to the court.”

Judge Kelleher asked Sergeant John Kelleher if that indication changed matters in relation to directions from the DPP. Sgt Kelleher said directions would still have to be awaited and added that there was a number of burglary charges.

Mr Burke said Jones was waiving his right to be dealt with in the district court and was anxious to make the next sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court commencing on June 15. The judge remanded Jones in custody until June 3 to allow time for the prosecution to get directions from the DPP.

Defence solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, said Anthony Horgan was also pleading guilty to the charges. Judge Kelleher also remanded him in custody until June 3.

When the two men were first brought to court, Detective Garda Padraig Harrington said the state would allege that both men broke into a five occupied houses in the Tower St/High St area Cork city in the early hours of April 17.

He said the State would allege that in one case they woke up an 83-year-old woman sleeping in her downstairs bedroom and told her that they were gardaí and that they were checking out reports of burglaries in the area.

He said the State would allege that the accused asked the woman where she kept her money to check if it was okay and when the woman told them where she kept the cash, they stole €2,700 and £80 stg.