A young man who stole a €7,000 gold-plated monstrance, which contained the Holy Sacrament, from a Dublin church as part of a string of robberies has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Mark Mosley (24), who has 71 previous convictions, was also sentenced for robbing a mobile phone from a young man at knife-point at a Dart station, threatening a garda at court and for a house burglary. He had been abusing alcohol, tablets and heroin at the time .
The monstrance had been presented to St Bridget’s Church, Killester in 1927. It has not been recovered.
Mosley, of Cromcastle Park and Gracefield Avenue, Artane, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at the church on June 13th last year.
He further pleaded guilty to the robbery of a mobile phone at Harmonstown Dart Station on June 27, 2015. Mosley also admitted burglary of a house at Glenwood Road, Edenmore in Dublin on January 13th this year and to making a threat towards Sergeant Basil Grimes in the Criminal Courts of Justice two days later.
Fingerprints
Garda Joan O’Connor told the court that Mosley broke into the church sacristy during the afternoon and ransacked the room. He stole the monstrance and left fingerprints at the scene. He was arrested six months later in the city.
Garda O’Connor said on June 27th last year two men were at Harmonstown Dart Station at midnight when Mosley came along, intoxicated, wearing sunglasses and carrying a pizza box and a bag of chips. He produced a large kitchen knife and ordered the men to “give me your stuff”.
One of the men handed over his mobile phone and Mosley ran off. He was later recognised from CCTV and arrested. He told gardai he “didn’t really remember” much about the night as he had been abusing alcohol and drugs.
Judge Elma Sheahan noted Mosley had a “sad and unfortunate” childhood. He now appeared to be drug-free but had been the subject of 88 disciplinary issues in prison. She sentenced him to seven years but suspended the final 18 months.