Man jailed for rural burglary gets disability benefit for lactose intolerance, court told

A judge has said that it is “extraordinary” that the State is paying disability benefit for a Limerick burglary gang member’s lactose intolerance.

At Ennis Circuit Court, after being informed of Edward Woodland’s disability benefit for his lactose intolerance, Judge Eoin Garavan commented: “I am sure that the taxpayer will be delighted to know that the Department of Social Welfare pays disability benefit for lactose intolerance.”

Lactose intolerance is a common digestive problem where the body is unable to digest lactose, a type of sugar mainly found in milk and dairy products.

Judge Garavan said: “The less said about this the better but it seems to be an extraordinary reason for obtaining social protection disability payment.”

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Judge Garavan made his comments about Edward Woodland (23) when imposing cumulative sentences on Woodland and three accomplices in a four-strong burglary gang of 18½ years with 4½ years suspended for a burglary on an isolated farmhouse at Ballyveskill, Tiermaclane, 9km from Ennis in Co Clare on January 5th, 2018.

All four pleaded guilty to burglary and on the date three of the burglars – father and son Patrick (48) and Edward Woodland along with Paul Kiely (35) – fled from the farmhouse after discovering that the sole occupant, James (Jimmy) O’Connor (97), was asleep in his bed.

At around 3.30pm on January 5th, 2018, the raiders had kicked in the door of the house and broke a lock, ransacking the home looking for cash before making the discovery about Mr O’Connor’s presence.

All three were caught “red-handed” by gardaí as they tried to make good their escape through fields around Mr O’Connor’s home. Nothing was taken in the burglary and Judge Garavan said that no threat of violence or violence was used.

As part of the planned burglary, Patrick’s brother John Woodland (43) lured Mr O’Connor’s son Vincent O’Connor away from his home to a nearby field on the pretence of buying silage as part of “a clever decoy”.

John Woodland had first contacted Vincent O’Connor concerning purchasing silage at the start of December 2017.

Imposing sentence, Judge Garavan stated that the burglary offence carried out by the gang “is of intense social concern” and there must be a deterrent.

He said such offences “terrify people in rural areas where there is little protection against this and who do not have gardaí on their doorstep”.

Judge Garavan said that three raiders displayed “humanity in the midst of a serious crime” when they decided to flee from the house after discovering there was an elderly man asleep in the home.

James O’Connor died peacefully at home in March 2018 and his death was not related to the January burglary where his sleep was undisturbed.

In sentencing, Judge Garavan imposed a five-year prison term on Patrick Woodland of Greenmount Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick; a five-year prison term with the final year suspended on Edward Woodland with the same address; a five-year prison term on John Woodland of Clarina Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick with the final two years suspended; and 3½ years on Paul Kiely of Glencairn, Dooradoyle, Limerick with the final 18 months suspended.

Det Garda Brendan Rouine told the court that Patrick and John Woodland were each jailed for three years in 2012 for a similar burglary committed in Galway in 2011.