David Carroll jailed for church thefts and apartment burglary

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

David Carroll, 48, of Dorset Lane, Dublin 2, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 6 December 2024 to three years in prison, with the final six months suspended for 12 months. The proceedings were reported on 6 December 2024.

Carroll pleaded guilty to three counts of theft at St Francis Xavier Church on Gardiner Street, one count of theft at Erin College on North Great George Street and one count of burglary at a Dublin city-centre apartment. The incidents occurred between December 2023 and April 2024.

Detective Garda Aaron Connell said CCTV could identify Carroll on each occasion. Carroll was arrested on 29 April 2024 and made admissions in interview. The detective accepted that the offences were motivated by Carroll’s drug habit. Defence counsel Luigi Rea said Carroll had previously overcome his addiction but relapsed after several deaths close to him.

Judge Orla Crowe identified the repeated targeting of the church, the domestic setting of one offence and the unrecovered property as aggravating factors. She cited Carroll’s guilty pleas, admissions, co-operation, personal circumstances and letter of apology in mitigation.

The judge backdated the sentence to when Carroll entered custody in April 2024 and placed him under Probation Services supervision for 12 months.