Courts / Dublin / Report

Serial burglar broke in to parochial house while priest was saying mass

Summary

Gary Culhane, a 40‑year‑old Limerick man, was sentenced to four years in prison for breaking into the parochial house of The Good Shepherd Church in Churchtown, Dublin, on 15 October 2016. He pleaded guilty to burglary and was found to have 102 previous convictions, including assault, robbery and theft, and had spent 20 years in prison. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final year of the sentence, ordering Culhane to complete a residential drug rehabilitation course at Tiglin treatment centre and to follow all after‑care plans. The priest, who had been away saying mass, was "very shaken" when he returned to find €650 stolen from his house, including money, collections and the poor box. Garda Áine Bolton identified Culhane after the priest downloaded CCTV footage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Serial burglar broke in to parochial house while priest was saying mass. Charges or matters: burglary at The Good Shepherd Church and Parochial House, Nutgrove Avenue, Churchtown, Dublin on October 15, 2016; all offences. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 15, 2016 Incident
• June 18 Incident
• July 14 Incident
• August 7 Incident
• 2018-02-09 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Burglary Drugs Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report