Man caught stealing bicycles from apartment complex jailed

A father of four who was captured on CCTV stealing bicycles from a bike shed at an apartment complex has been jailed for two years.

Jonathan Dunne (27) admitted to gardaí ­ that he had set out that night to steal bikes after he was shown footage from the complex of him carrying a bolt-cutters.

Garda Brian Hunt told the court two bikes and three bicycle wheels were taken during the burglary after a large hole was a cut into a wire cage that acted as a bike shed. The cage had been locked and secured.

The bicycles and wheels taken were worth a total of €3,450 and €1,608 worth of damage was done to the shed.

Dunne of Dermot O'Dwyer House, Hardwick Street, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two charges of theft and criminal damage at Gasworks Apartments, Barrow Street, Ringsend on July 28th, 2016.

He has 76 previous convictions, including offences for criminal damage, handling stolen property and burglary.

Judge Karen O’Connor said there was a “pre-meditated plan to steal bikes” and Dunne had brought a bolt-cutters with him.

She noted that he had a long-standing drug addiction but accepted evidence from Garda Hunt that Dunne “presents better today than he has done in the past”.

She jailed him for two years having taken into account his co-operation with the Garda investigation and plea of guilty.