Dara Bradley
Two brothers were jailed this week in connection with burglaries at three national schools located along the Galway/Mayo border.
Michael McDonagh of 56 An Sruthain, Castlebar was convicted of the burglary of Cloghans Hill National School, Tuam and Claran National School, Headford; and for handling stolen goods that were burgled from Glencorrib National School, Schrule.
Thomas McDonagh of 2 Castlehill Park, Castlebar was convicted of burglary at Claran National School and for handling stolen goods that were taken from Glencorrib National School.
At Tuam District Court on Tuesday, both men pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods but pleaded not guilty to burglary.
After convicting the duo following a hearing that lasted several hours and which heard evidence from a dozen witnesses, including ten Gardaí and two school principals, Judge Geoffrey Browne praised the detection work of An Garda Síochána in what was a ‘very difficult case’ for the prosecution.
Iseult Mangan, principal of Cloghans Hill, gave evidence of arriving at the school between 8.20am and 8.30am on the morning of October 10, 2011.
Standing on windowsill
When she entered the office she saw the defendant, Michael McDonagh, standing on the windowsill. Before jumping out the window he turned round and looked at her. She could see his face clearly; he didn’t say anything to her and it all happened in a matter of seconds.
When another teacher arrived at the school, Ms Mangan rang the Gardaí – this was the second time in the space of a year that the school had been the subject of a break-in, she said.
Equipment worth €8,700 had been stolen during the course of the burglary including cameras, iPads, camcorders, and computers.
The ICT equipment, which was paid for partly through fundraising by parents and the community including through Tesco vouchers, and partly by the Department of Education, has never been recovered.
On October 25, 2011, she said she met with Gardaí at Tuam District Court where an informal identification parade was to be conducted.
After about 45 minutes in an unmarked Garda car observing people coming and going from court, Ms Mangan pointed out to Gardaí, the defendant, Michael McDonagh, who was leaving the court, as the person whom she saw climbing out of the window of the school that morning a fortnight previous. Gardaí asked her three or four times was she sure it was him and she said she was 100 percent certain. He was arrested outside the court.
Defending solicitor Gary Mulchrone queried why a formal ‘line-up’ identification parade at the station wasn’t used. Detective Garda Noel Raftery, who led the investigation, said formal identification parades are only used when people are arrested. At that stage, Michael McDonagh was only a suspect and hadn’t been arrested – it was only after he was pointed out by Ms Mangan in the informal process that he was arrested, interviewed and charged. He said he was 100 per cent happy with the procedures used; and she was 100 per cent happy it was Michael McDonagh.
Although the defence argued that not enough people similar looking to Michael McDonagh were in court that day to test out Ms Mangan’s memory of who she saw, Inspector Mick O’Dwyer said there were up to 70 people and many of them were of the same height and build to the defendant.
Beyond reasonable doubt
Under cross examination, Detective Raftery admitted that forensic examinations hadn’t connected Michael McDonagh to the school, but Judge Browne said he was satisfied the State had proved beyond reasonable doubt Michael McDonagh’s involvement in the burglary.
Meanwhile, both Michael McDonagh and Thomas McDonagh pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods on September, 29, 2010 Glencorrib NS. They both denied burglary of Claran NS.
The court heard that the defendants were stopped by Gardaí immediately outside Claran NS in a blue Toyota Avensis at about 11.30pm. Michael was driving. Gardaí had been patrolling the area because of an upsurge in burglaries targeting primary schools in rural areas of Mayo, Galway and Roscommon.
The defendants’ car contained property from both schools, including screwdrivers, a chisel, a black torch, gloves, a pair of grey socks, two Nokia phones – one belonging to each of the schools – an envelope with money in it that was addressed to a teacher at Glencorrib NS and £100 sterling.
Neither men made admissions of guilt during the course of Garda interviews; and both continuously said ‘no comment’.
Thomas McDonagh, who had no socks on during the interviews, admitted that the grey socks found in the car were his but he denied he’d used them in the course of a burglary and said he took them off because he was “relaxing” and was “asleep in the car”.
Principal of Claran NS, Seamus McHugh confirmed that the phone found in the duo’s possession was school property. He said he had secured the school, locking all windows and doors the evening before the burglary. The prosecution conceded that there was no forensic evidence linking either men to the two schools.
Michael McDonagh (22), who had previous convictions including theft, handling stolen goods and minor traffic offences, was convicted and jailed for a total of 20 months, with the final three months suspended for a year. He was also disqualified from driving for twelve months, on the request of Gardaí, because he was the driver when the burglary was carried out.
Thomas McDonagh, also 22, was convicted and sent to prison for a total of 20 months with the last three months suspended for a year on condition he liaise with probation services when released.
