Thief who used Wicklow hotel master key card to steal elderly woman’s jewellery spared jail
The Wicklow PeopleA Dublin man who stole €5,000 worth of jewellery from an elderly hotel guest after finding a master key card has avoided an immediate prison sentence.
Aaron Farrelly (22), of Cashel Road, Crumlin, Co Dublin, appeared at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court for the finalisation of his sentence after pleading guilty to one count of burglary.
Back in February 2026, Garda Sly Barron of Arklow Garda Station gave evidence that in November 2024, gardaí attended the Arklow Bay Hotel after a manager contacted them having observed two males pushing a black Yamaha motorbike and “looking suspicious”.
Meanwhile, another guest of the hotel had made a complaint that jewellery valued at €5,000 had been taken from their hotel room. The jewellery was recovered several days later outside the hotel in a plant pot.
Counsel for the prosecution, James Kelly stated that Farrelly found a master key card on the floor at the hotel and entered a room, stealing jewellery valued at €5,000.
It was also noted that the accused, by hiding the jewellery, left open the possibility of somebody else taking it.
His co-accused, Dáire Lynch (24), of Stannaway Road, Crumlin, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for handling stolen property, after gardaí noticed that the bike had an emulator plugged into it.
An emulator is an electronic device used by thieves to bypass a motorcycle’s ignition system, allowing the bike to be started without a key. The bike had been stole from Lucan, Co Dublin, on September 3, 2024.
Mr Kelly, informed the court that the maximum tariff for burglary is 14 years imprisonment.
Mr Farrelly has more than 70 previous convictions and is currently serving a sentence of three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment imposed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in relation to a weapons offence.
The court in Dublin previously heard that in October 2024, Mr Farrelly and his brother Shane were captured on CCTV carrying a 28-inch sword near a primary school in Inchicore as children and parents were leaving for the day.
Judge Pauline Codd described the conduct as “reprehensible” and noted that “people are entitled to feel safe on the street” before sentencing Mr Farrelly.
Barrister for the accused, Sorcha Dianamh Ní Néill Fulham, remarked that her client was apologetic to staff at the hotel, but had only been in the room for a “brief period”.
The court was told that the matter had previously been adjourned to allow medical evidence of a head injury to be furnished, involving a road traffic collision and a violent assault in which Mr Farrelly was beaten with metal bars.
Ms Fulham previously said the defendant had struggled with mental health and alcohol issues.
She added that while in custody, Mr Farrelly had engaged in education, including attending a barista programme.
Mr Farrelly is the father of two young children, with the court hearing that “he wants to be an active father” and that he has organised employment for when he is released from custody.
The court heard that he had previously worked with Musgraves and is forklift certified.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Kelly, the injured party, a 73-year-old woman, said she and her five sisters had been enjoying a weekend away when the incident occurred.
She said the burglary had turned what should have been a relaxing break into a “nightmare” and that they had believed the hotel to be a secure environment.
She added that three items of valuable jewellery were taken and that the incident resulted in staff searching everyone in an effort to locate the missing property.
However, the woman said she was informed by hotel management that the theft had occurred while she was asleep, leaving her feeling “scared and shaken”.
“We are all senior citizens,” she said, adding that it had taken courage for her to return to a hotel since the incident. She asked: “Does this criminal understand what he has caused?”
During sentencing, Judge Patrick Quinn noted that the offence before the court was burglary and accepted that Mr Farrelly had entered the hotel and committed the offence.
The judge said an aggravating factor was that the accused had failed to tell gardaí where the stolen jewellery was hidden, meaning it could have been lost forever.
He also referred to the victim impact statement, remarking on the effect the burglary had on the complainant.
The judge said a headline sentence of two years imprisonment was appropriate, but reduced it by six months after taking mitigating factors into account, including the plea entered on behalf of the accused.
“I’m giving you a break,” Judge Quinn told Mr Farrelly.
He imposed an 18-month sentence, suspended in its entirety for a period of three years, with him noting that Mr Farrelly had two young children before telling him: “It’s time to start growing up.”
The court heard that the suspension period will commence upon the accused’s release from custody on other matters.