Courts / Dublin / Report

Burglar was caught wearing priest's stolen Yankees cap and sporting "Lourdes" purse

Summary

In August 2013, Michael McDonald (44) broke into the parochial house of a priest on Cherry Orchard Avenue, Tallaght, stealing a Yankees baseball cap and a Lourdes‑branded purse containing €660. The intruder was caught by Gardaí hours after the burglary, still wearing the stolen cap and carrying the purse. McDonald pleaded guilty to burglary at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned sentencing to July of the following year and ordered him to keep the peace and participate in victim empathy programmes. McDonald, who has 27 prior convictions and was previously sentenced to three years for robbery and assault in 2002, admitted the theft and apologized to the priest. His defence counsel, Keith Spencer BL, highlighted McDonald's background in the Travelling community and his son's success as a professional footballer. The case remains at the sentencing stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Burglar was caught wearing priest's stolen Yankees cap and sporting "Lourdes" purse. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 15, 2013 Adjournment
• 2014-12-11 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Burglary Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report