Jail ‘well overdue’ for breaking into car
By Brendan Grehan
A YOUNG dad who broke into a car with a hammer to steal a sat nav has been jailed for five months Blanchardstown Court heard.
Judge David McHugh described Karl Smith’s actions as “complete thuggery”. He said jail for Smith was “well overdue”.
Karl Smith, aged 22, with an address at Croftwood Drive, Ballyfermot, is charged with stealing a Garmin sat nav worth €150 from a car at JFK Drive, Clondalkin, on May 8, 2017.
He is also charged with damaging the front passenger window of the same car, possession of a hammer for use in theft and getting into the same car also at JFK Drive on the above date.
Sergeant Geraldine McManigan told the court that gardai on patrol in John F Kennedy Drive, on May 8 last saw the front passenger window of a Laguna had been smashed. Smith was standing behind the car with a number of objects in his hand, which he threw to the ground. He fled and was stopped by gardai.
When the objects were retrieved, they were found to be a €150 sat nav and a hammer.
The value of the damage was €160.
Smith’s counsel, Alan Delany Bl, said his client’s two-and-a-half-year-old child had been diagnosed with a serious illness and he went off the rails. He had been taking valium at the time of the incident.
Judge David McHugh asked what the connection was between his child’s illness and the accused breaking a car window and stealing a sat nav.
Mr Delany replied: “What happened was he didn’t deal with this in the manner most people would deal with it and get counselling. He went off on a drugs binge.”
The court heard the accused had shown “no regard for other people’s property”.
Smith had previous convictions for public order, motoring and other offences.
Judge McHugh sentenced him to five months in prison, saying what happened was “complete thuggery”.
