Courts / Dublin / Report
Serial criminal with over 250 convictions has spent 'lifetime' offending
Summary
Thomas Grace, a serial criminal with over 250 previous convictions, was jailed for two on-bail offences, including breaking into a couple's home and ransacking it while they slept. Judge Orla Crowe noted that Grace's criminal history dates back nearly 25 years and includes a wide range of offences, from burglary and robbery to drug-related crimes and assaults. She acknowledged Grace's struggle with heroin addiction, which began at 18, but emphasized that many people have been directly affected by his actions. Grace was sentenced to concurrent terms of 18 months and three years and nine months for theft and burglary, with the final nine months of the second term suspended on strict conditions. Grace pleaded guilty to stealing from a café and burglarizing a family home. His legal team highlighted his troubled past, including leaving school at 13 and falling into addiction and criminality after returning home. Despite showing remorse, Grace's long history of offending and ongoing drug addiction were significant factors in the court's decision.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Serial criminal with over 250 convictions has spent 'lifetime' offending. Charges or matters: theft from Honey Honey Café, Portmarnock on August 28, 2025; the burglary of a family home in the early hours of September 3, 2025. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- August 28, 2025 Incident
- September 3, 2025 Incident
- September 2025 Incident
- 2026-06-03 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: theft from Honey Honey Café, Portmarnock on August 28, 2025; the burglary of a family home in the early hours of September 3, 2025 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Places mentioned
- Mount Olive Road
- Dublin
- Portmarnock
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
Burglary Drugs Stage Sentence Theft
Related court reports
- Man charged with having 56k child abuse images and videos remanded on bail
- Ex-Dáil hopeful's allegations against former employer 'complete fantasy', WRC told
- Mater must pay €10k to worker who said he was wrongly accused of abusing patient
- 'I think we know I won't be getting bail' - Daniel Kinahan charged with directing criminal organisation
- Letting agent who claimed alleged domestic violence victim abandoned tenancy by fleeing to refuge must pay €14.7k
- 77-year-old with 470 convictions told Luas staff to 'f**k off'
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request