Appeal court suspends three-year sentence for Storm Emma looter

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal imposed a three-year sentence on David Berney for the 2018 Centra burglary during Storm Emma, then suspended the full term for three years after hearing that he had made strong progress in rehabilitation. The court backdated the sentence to November 2019.

Berney had originally received an 18-month suspended sentence. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, and the Court of Appeal had ruled that sentence unduly lenient in March 2020, giving him time to demonstrate rehabilitation before resentencing.

The suspension carries conditions, including that Berney engage with probation services to find another job if he loses his current employment.