Courts / Dublin / Report

Burglar caught cycling wrong way down street with stolen payphone box under his arm, court hears

Date
2015-10-15

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A 38‑year‑old Dublin man, Austin Byrne, was arrested after a garda saw him cycling the wrong way down Lombard Street while carrying a stolen payphone box under his jacket. The phone box, no longer in use, had been removed from an office building wall after Byrne entered through a door left ajar. Byrne was released on bail and two months later was caught again in Dublin 4 with a companion. The pair were found with an iPad hidden under Byrne's jacket and a laptop in his partner's possession; they could not provide the iPad login code. Gardaí traced the laptop to a house on Haddington Road, where Byrne admitted entering via a building site at the back and taking computers and a watch. Byrne pleaded guilty to burglary of a Pearse Street office block and possession of stolen property on 11 February 2015, and to burglary at Percy Lane on 11 April 2015.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Burglar caught cycling wrong way down street with stolen payphone box under his arm, court hears. Charges or matters: burglary from a Pearse Street office block and possession of stolen property on February 11, 2015 and burglary at Percy Lane on April 11, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

February 11, 2015 Incident
April 11, 2015 Incident
2015-10-15 Publication

Case subjects

Austin Byrne

Defendant

Charges: burglary from a Pearse Street office block and possession of stolen property on February 11, 2015 and burglary at Percy Lane on April 11, 2015 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He imposed two sentences of 18 months which are to run consecutively.