A man named Nathan Coughlan who repeatedly burgled churches, parochial homes, and pastoral centres, as well as other educational establishments in Donegal County, has been sentenced to a year in prison. He admitted guilt to a plethora of theft offences that took place in hotels, supermarkets, petrol stations, and churches when he appeared in Letterkenny District Court.
The father of three with a lengthy criminal history of 123 past offences dating back to 2014 expressed remorse and admitted his struggles with drug addiction when he was officially charged. As the 28-year-old sat in court, Detective Garda Cathal Feely detailed both past and present charges against him dating back to 2019.
Currently residing at Silverhill, in Bundoran, Donegal, Coughlan has been held in custody for the past month. He’s been accused of theft and vandalism at various religious and clerical buildings across Donegal over several occasions.
On June 18th, 2023, Coughlan was accused of a break-in at St Mary’s Church in Bocan, Culdaff, where he forced entry into the church’s vestry, stole safety vault keys and made away with €800, which has never been found. Likewise, he is suspected of stealing €300 from Star of the Sea Church’s donation boxes in Bundoran on June 14th, 2024, the stolen money is yet to be recovered.
In addition, on July 13th of this year, Coughlan confessed to trespassing into the parish hall of St Mary’s Church in Stranorlar and stealing a key. The subsequent day, he intruded into the church and was recorded on CCTV pilfering a computer hard drive, which he later discarded in the nearby River Finn. The hardware was later discovered by Detective Feely.
Coughlan faces additional charges for a variety of crimes committed at several petrol stations and shops throughout Donegal on numerous dates.
This year, on the 14th of July, the individual went into Ballybofey’s Lidl store under the pretense of needing the staff toilets. Nevertheless, he accessed a staff-only area via security doors and pilfered an array of bank cards, driver’s licenses, and other items, even including a Lidl worker’s uniform top.
Furthermore, he is accused of stealing a bank card on the 3rd of June, 2024 from a person residing at Thorndale, Letterkenny, and using the card to check into Dillon’s Hotel in Letterkenny. He managed to accumulate a bill of €451.25 for his stay, including meals and beverages.
Rory O’Brien, the solicitor representing the accused, says that his client confessed to all the charges. He claimed that the accused began his descent into addiction at a young age, initially with alcohol and eventually escalating to cocaine use.
Regretting his actions, the man at fault apologized to those affected, attributing his behaviour to his “addiction”.
In response to his crimes, Judge Ciran Liddy issued three concurrent 12-month prison sentences— for the Lidl robbery in Ballybofey on July 14th, for the burglary of St Mary’s Church in Stranorlar, and for the burglary of St Mary’s Church in Bocan, Culdaff.
Taking all other related charges into account, the judge backdated the sentence to the date that the accused was first taken into custody.