Father-of-three jailed over stolen jewellery from Wicklow burglary
The Wicklow PeopleA Dublin father-of-three has been jailed after pleading guilty to possession of jewellery stolen during a burglary in Wicklow.
Dan Moorehouse (26), of Richmond Park, Monkstown, County Dublin, appeared for sentencing at a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court.
Mr Moorehouse entered a plea of guilty to one count of possession of stolen goods.
The court heard from Detective Garda Fiachra Frewen that on August 21, 2022, a householder was alerted to a burglary at their home in Bray after a wire to their CCTV cameras was cut.
When the homeowner returned to the property, they saw men fleeing the scene.
Det Gda Frewen stated that Mr Moorehouse was apprehended in a car, where he was a passenger. Upon being searched, he was found in possession of jewellery that had been stolen during the burglary. The items were concealed in his sock.
Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, James Kelly BL, informed the court that Mr Moorehouse had previously received a six-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with the final 18 months suspended, after attacking two sisters during a burglary at their home on Monkstown Road, south Dublin.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court previously heard that in October the women had returned from Christmas shopping to find Mr Moorehouse running downstairs with their mother’s purse.
When confronted, he repeatedly struck one sister, bursting her lip and cutting her cheekbone, and “whacked” the other in the nose before fleeing the scene.
Mr Kelly added that Mr Moorehouse was on bail for the Bray burglary when he was sentenced in Dublin.
The court heard that the accused has 62 previous convictions for various offences, including theft and assault causing harm.
Prior to sentencing, Karla Ray BL, counsel for the defendant, requested that her client’s prison records be furnished.
The application was refused by Judge Patrick Quinn.
Ms Ray stated that her client has multiple physical issues and has suffered from drug addiction since the age of 12, which she said “could be seen in his offending”.
Det Gda Frewen confirmed that the defendant has multiple drugs convictions dating back to the Children’s Court.
Ms Ray told the court that her client is a father-of-three and is extremely remorseful for his actions.
During sentencing, Judge Quinn noted that he would deal with the matter as though he had the medical reports before him.
He imposed a sentence of two and a half years’ imprisonment, with the final year suspended.
The sentence is to run consecutively to Mr Moorehouse’s Dublin sentence.