The father of a drug dealer who went on a burglary and bike-theft spree while on a suspended sentence told a court his 24-year-old son “never stood a chance with parents like us”.
Kyle Kelly, of Cashel Road, Crumlin, Dublin, was jailed for eight months on Monday, after pleading guilty to a litany of drugs, theft and burglary charges from September, 2024, until July last year.
Dublin District Court heard that Kelly, who already had 42 prior convictions, had developed a drug problem in his early teens when he became addicted to cocaine and cannabis.
The father of one did not address the proceedings but furnished a letter of apology. His solicitor, Aoife Dalton, told Judge Treasa Kelly her client was upfront about his addiction issues and understood there were victims of his crimes.
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In a plea for leniency, the solicitor said the accused’s parents, who attended the hearing, also had a history of addiction problems. She quoted from a letter from Kelly’s father, who had been in prison when his son was young. “Kyle never stood a chance with parents like us,” the letter said.
The court heard in addition to witnessing addiction in his home life, Kyle Kelly quit school at a young age and developed his own chronic substance abuse problem.
He had been in custody on remand for months, engaged with counselling and was drug-free. The solicitor told the court Kelly was now determined to “turn his life around”.
The court heard the offences before it had all been committed to feed Kelly’s drug habit when he was on a three-year “path of destruction”.
The sentencing judge stressed that the accused’s actions had affected many people. She noted his involvement with crack cocaine.
The court heard a detailed account of a persistent 10-month crime spree.
The activity began in September, 2024, with a series of bicycle thefts. In one such theft, Kelly smashed his way into an office to gain access to the bike.
Later, the offending escalated to burglary, vehicle theft and drug-dealing offences.
On June 27th last year, an injured party reported their apartment keys had been taken and a motorbike, valued at €2,500, was stolen.
Kelly had failed to appear in court twice in June and a further three times during a single week in July. Gardaí intercepted him on July 12th with crack cocaine worth €810, and again on July 23rd carrying a €300 supply of the same substance. He stole €12 of goods from a local shop at Cashel Road around the same time.
As a result of his conviction on Monday, he will face further proceedings to consider activation of suspended sentences for his earlier offences.
