Cork woman's barking dog alerted her to burglar she found clutching her handbag

Accused went on crime spree in Cork City, Kinsale and Belgooly in the early hours of November 16, 2021, court heard

The judge imposed a sentence of five years on 44-year-old Trevor O’Sullivan, of no fixed address, with the last six months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Picture: Larry Cummins

A woman who went down to her kitchen during the night because her dog barked found a burglar clutching her handbag but when she calmly asked for the bag he dropped it and fled.

Judge Helen Boyle has now jailed the culprit for four and a half years and said of the householder: “She showed great presence of mind. She spoke calmly to him. And he dropped the handbag and ran from the scene. She is to be commended.”