A serial burglar's one-day "crime spree" in Sandymount, Dublin, has brought him a four-year jail term that he must serve after his current four-year sentence.
John Matthews (27) of Desmond Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, already had 28 burglary convictions in Ireland and England before he burgled houses in the Sandy- mount area on June 2nd, 2005.
"He was following on in the family business", Judge Desmond Hogan said at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after noting that both Matthews' father and uncle had also done time for burglary.
Matthews pleaded guilty to the Sandymount crimes and also to burglary at a house on Upper Clanbrassil Street on May 26th, 2005. Imposing the sentence Judge Hogan said he would leave "light at the end of the tunnel" for Matthews by suspending the final two years.
Lily Buckley BL, defending, said the four years Matthews was currently serving was imposed in May 2005 as a suspended sentence but had been reactivated in July 2005 after these offences came to light.
Garda Gerry Mullins told Mr Paul Carroll BL, prosecuting, that Matthews was arrested for the three Sandymount burglaries after a search of his house on June 25th, 2005.
Garda Mullins said Matthews had been spotted ringing doorbells and then going to the rear of the houses when he got no reply. Access was gained by smashing a window at the rear and the houses had then been ransacked.
Jewellery valued at €12,000 was taken from one house in Oakland Park and Prada sunglasses and jewellery valued at €600 from another. A mobile phone and €40 from a piggy bank were taken from a house at Railway Cottages. All were within 500m of each other.
Garda Mullins said Matthews dropped a bag he was carrying and escaped when challenged by gardaí after they spotted him at Hempenstall Terrace.
Garda Niall Kinsella told Mr Carroll that James Reilly was awakened on May 26th, 2005, by noises in the bedroom of his parents' house on Upper Clanbrassil Street and saw Matthews looking in through the bedroom door.
Matthews ran down the stairs followed by Mr Reilly and escaped. Mr Reilly noticed jewellery on the bed in his sister's room but no property was missing. Gardaí were able to lift fingerprints from a jewellery box and Matthews admitted the crime.
Ms Buckley submitted that Matthews was in the grip of drug addiction at the time and now "recognised the error of his ways".