Wicklow burglar jailed for 10 months after kicking homeowner
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow man who kicked a homeowner during a burglary has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for a series of offences including assault and public order.
William Moorehouse (37), a father-of-five with an address at Old Connaught, Bray, pleaded guilty at Bray District Court to a Section 2 assault, one public order offences, both charges relate to separate incidents.
The court heard that the assault was connected to an incident for which Moorehouse was sentenced on October 14, 2025. The charge related to Mr Moorehouse kicking the homeowner during a struggle after being caught inside the man’s Bray home in May 2025. The victim managed to restrain him but suffered bruising to the head from the blows.
The incident had already led to Mr Moorehouse’s conviction at Wicklow Circuit Court for burglary, for which he received a four-year prison sentence with 18 months suspended.
In the District Court, the Section 2 assault charge was dealt with as part of the same event, and the facts of the assault were outlined again.
The court heard that Mr Moorehouse had appeared at Dún Laoghaire District Court on November 3, 2025, where he received a 10-month prison sentence on unrelated matters and a 20-year driving ban.
Gardaí informed the court that they had observed Mr Moorehouse drunk, vocal and loud on the Southern Cross Road. He was arrested and later charged at Bray Garda Station.
Counsel for the defendant Brendan Maloney told the court that his client is a drug addict and currently “in the grips of addiction”.
“Sadly, my client admits he has spent over 50 percent of his adult life incarcerated,” said Mr Moorehouse’s barrister Justin McQuade at his sentencing last month.
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The court also heard that the accused is one of eight children and a father-of-five, with a sixth child on the way, as his current partner is pregnant.
The court was told back in October that Mr Moorehouse’s life “could be described as tragic”.
Judge David Kennedy sentenced Mr Moorehouse to 10 months in prison, six months for the Section 2 assault and four months for the public order offence, to run consecutively, and fined him €500 for the Section 13 Road Traffic Act offence.