A MOTHER and daughter were jailed yesterday after pleading guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of burglary at the home of a murder victim, Mr Tommy Casey.
Kathleen Connors (55), of Greenfields, Newcastle, Galway, and her daughter, Alison Connors (21), of Lurgoe, Killenaule, Co Tipperary, were charged with entering 70 year old Mr Casey's home at Oranbeg, Oranmore, Co Galway, with intent to steal on January 15th last. Judge Raymond Groarke sentenced the defendants to three years and two years respectively.
When the trial resumed after an adjournment on Tuesday, the judge was told that the defendants had changed their plea to guilty.
The court heard that, although Mr Casey, a retired farmer who lived alone, had died on January 15th, the prosecution was not saying the two accused were responsible for his death.
Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, said the defendants had been stopped by gardai at 8.40 p.m. on January 15th when they were accompanied by two men. Housebreaking instruments, a dagger and a balaclava had been found in their car.
Det Sgt Pat Lynagh said that at the time gardai were not aware that Mr Casey was dead. His body was found eight days later. Alison Connors, he added, had made a statement later describing how she with her mother knocked on the front door of "the old man's house" and the two men went around the back when there was no answer.
She had heard later on radio that a man had been murdered in Oranmore. "I knew it was the house that the two men went into. It was a few days after the murder that I heard it," she had added.
The court heard that in an interview with gardai on February 8th, Kathleen Connors had said that she had heard of Mr Casey's death some time afterwards.
"I did not want that to happen. I knew that this old man near Oranmore had a lot of money and lived alone. I only wanted to rob him," she had added.
The court heard that the two women had previous convictions for burglary but not with violence.
Mr Padraic O hUiginn SC, for Kathleen Connors, said she had a life of hardship and was the victim of domestic violence, and one of her six children was blind and in care.
Mr Gregory Murphy SC, for Alison Connors, said she was pleading guilty in a spirit of regret for what had happened.
Judge Groarke said there was no doubt that Mr Casey died at the hands of persons who participated in the burglary on January 15th but that the two women before the court were not involved in the "common purpose" of his death and had not entered the house. He noted that a Garda investigation was ongoing in relation to the death.
He found that Kathleen Connors had helped target the house and thus was giving her the longer sentence. "It is the duty of this court to protect people perceived as soft targets. It is my intention that this court will express its abhorrence of this type of offence," he added.