Serial burglar who broke into sleeping student's bedroom is sent back to jail

The Court of Appeal has resentenced a serial burglar to five years imprisonment after finding his original sentence inadequate. Wayne O'Callaghan, aged 35, of Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire, Cork, had pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle. Justice Tara Burns determined that the original headline sentence of three years for burglary was "simply too low" and represented an error in principle. The court heard that O'Callaghan entered a property in Glanmire and stole car keys from a bedside locker whilst a 21-year-old woman slept in the room. He subsequently took her vehicle, which contained a laptop valued at €3,000. On the same occasion, CCTV footage showed him entering three neighbouring properties. Later that night, he entered another residential address where three family members were sleeping, stealing items including Apple watches, iPhones, and a purse containing €100. O'Callaghan, who has 68 previous convictions including 15 for burglary, was released from custody one week prior to today's hearing. The new sentence comprises two years for unauthorised taking, running concurrently.