Trail of compost led gardaí to home of garden centre burglar
At Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a nine-month prison term and suspended the final three months on 38-year-old Eamon Quinn for the theft of €500 theft of garden products from Vaughan's Garden Centre, Gort Road Industrial Estate on Ennis's Gort Rd on 10 February last.
Mr Quinn has been in custody since 17 March and Judge Gabbett backdated the prison sentence to that date.
Solicitor for Mr Quinn, Tara Godfrey has previously described the circumstances around the offence and subsequent garda arrest as 'cartoonish".
Sergeant Frank O'Grady told the court that Mr Quinn had taken flowers, shrubs and stone ornaments from the centre and a trail of compost he left behind led gardaí to his home a short distance away at Aughanteeroe, Gort Rd, Ennis.
In the case, Mr Quinn has pleaded guilty to entering the then closed Vaughan's Garden Centre as a trespasser late on the night of 10 February to commit theft contrary to Section 12 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.
Ms Godfrey told the court that Mr Quinn went to the garden centre and filled up his trolley and then walked the trolley along the pavement to his home from the garden centre and left behind a trail of compost on the footpath.
She said: "The gardaí then follow the trail of compost and find pots and various gardening items that have been stolen from Vaughans in his back garden and Eamon Quinn is arrested, charged and comes to court and pleads guilty."
Ms Godfrey said that her client apologises for the offence.
She said that some of the goods were recovered.
Ms Godfrey added that her client does not have a clear memory of the incident at Vaughan's Garden Centre as he was taking medication he was prescribed for health difficulties at the time.
Ms Godfrey said that her client was in a road traffic accident a number of years ago which resulted in him sustaining an acquired brain injury.
She said: "He had been a promising chef and that is something he will go back to time to time."
Ms Godfrey said that Mr Quinn's "father was passing away in September and October of last year" and at that time, her client had repeated seizures and in total spent six weeks in hospital "and this was a particularly difficult time for him".
Ms Godfrey said that Mr Quinn found himself homeless and living with his brother-in-law.
Sgt O'Grady said that Mr Quinn has 66 previous convictions that include 15 previous for theft and five for burglary.
Judge Gabbett imposed the prison term after taking into account the contents of a Probation Report and Mr Quinn's guilty plea.
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