A Dublin female, Joyce Conlon, aged 38 and residing in Meath Place, Dublin 8, has been detained without bail following allegations of burglaries and trespass charges at three different local schools on the same day. The decision to deny bail was made by Judge John Hughes at the weekend court session of the Dublin District Court, following the Gardaí’s identification of the suspect from CCTV footage. Ms Conlon, who gave no response when charged with six incidents of burglary, two trespassing incidents, and a single theft incident occurring over the last few weeks, now awaits guidance from the DPP.
On February 27th, five offences occurred. According to Garda Daniel Ebbs who was against her bail, an intruder stole a pair of handbags, a laptop, and cash worth €104 euros from St James’s Primary School located on Basin Street. She is also believed to have trespassed at CBS Basin Lane and to have stolen €100 from a purse in an office at another local school. Allegations were also made around her stealing a bag with €500 from a bakery on Meath Street. Despite attempts by the bakery staff to restrain her, she managed to escape although the bag was later found.
Other instances included her theft of a purse from a cafe kitchen on Thomas street and a backpack through an open window of an apartment in the same vicinity. On February 10, she was also accused of stealing a laptop worth €1000 from a female student’s college accommodation in Grangegorman. The laptop was eventually dumped and she was further charged with stealing a handbag from a guest at a hotel in Dublin 8 the previous week.
As they await instructions from the DPP not yet received, the Garda recommended that the case be escalated to the Circuit Court due to its broader sentencing capabilities. Speaking on behalf of his client who had not yet pleaded, Defence solicitor Eoin Lysaght maintained that Joyce Conlon was presumed innocent despite the delay expected before her trial.
However, Judge Hughes rejected the request for bail and ordered her to be held in custody for a subsequent appearance on March 14th pending directions from the DPP. An unemployed single mother, she was awarded legal aid.
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