Teenager jailed for letterbox ‘fishing’ burglaries

A Dublin teenager, who was in a gang that was behind a series of letterbox “fishing” burglaries which led to multiple motor thefts, has been given a 12-month custodial sentence.

The Dublin Children’s Court heard that the 17-year- old boy used bamboo sticks with a magnet or a hook taped to the end to fish out car keys through home-owners’ letterboxes. His involvement started within days after he was placed on probation by the juvenile court for a robbery offence.

After being furnished with a probation report yesterday, Judge John O’Connor imposed a 12-month sentence on the youth.

The boy was accompanied to his hearing by his mother. He cannot be named because he is a minor, but he admitted burglary and motor theft-related charges.

He was arrested on May 13th in Dunboyne, Co Meath, when he and two other males were seen getting out of a Volvo car which, along with a Volkswagen Caddy van, had been stolen in Tallaght, Dublin, the previous day.

Garda David Harte said the youth was arrested as he was about to get into a taxi and admitted he had been in the stolen vehicles. Gardaí recovered a “bamboo stick with a powerful magnet on top” from the stolen Volvo which had been used for “fishing keys through letterboxes”.

The youth had also entered more guilty pleas to similar other similar car theft offence.