A burglary at the Hugo Boss outlet on Grafton Street and another separate offence at a post office has resulted in imprisonment for a man involved. The man in question, Lee Conlon aged 44, was part of a trio that invaded the shop on January 18th, 2023. Their invasion involved reversing a car into the store’s entrance, causing damage worth €51,000 to the doors and windows. Clothing items valued over €7000 were taken.
CCTV footage identified Conlon, and upon searching his home on January 31st, 2023, police found Hugo Boss clothing items, some undisguised with tags. A cellphone, owned by an unknown individual, was also confiscated; it held images of the stolen apparel and text threads purportedly displaying Conlon’s attempt to exchange the attire for drugs. Despite being on bail when these crimes were committed, Conlon’s subsequent interrogation turned up nothing substantial.
Moreover, Conlon participated in a separate theft at a Ballyfermot post office on November 11th, 2023. The court was told that employing a blue scaffolding pole, Conlon shattered the counter’s security glass to rob over €21,800. They also discovered when he drove away in a car, earlier stolen, it bore fake plates labelling his fingerprints. Three counter staff and a grandmother, accompanied by her young grandchild, were present when this occurred.
Following a crash at the car’s short breakaway, Conlon was captured. Police recovered €3,000 in cash and the blue pole from the wrecked vehicle, plus an additional €10,000 hidden in Conlon’s pants. Another alleged accomplice was discovered carrying €8,000 cash. The court received no victim impact report; Conlon was on bail for the Grafton Street burglary whilst carrying out this heist.
Resident of Meath Place, Thomas Street, Dublin 8, Conlon admitted guilt for burglary and causing criminal damage at the Hugo Boss store on Grafton Street on January 18th, 2023.
Conlon, with a history of 89 prior convictions, including robbery offences, has had pleas related to the post office theft advanced to the Circuit Court. The pleas encompassed criminal damage, the use of a vehicle without the owner’s permission, holding counterfeit registration plates and brandishing an item during the theft.
Addressing the matter on Thursday was Judge Martin Nolan, who imposed a collective prison sentence of seven and half years on Conlon. The judgement carefully considered the defendant’s personal situation and any mitigating factors.
The Judge took note of the absence of occupants in the Hugo Boss outlet during the theft but highlighted the post office robbery as the more severe crime. He described the ordeal as ‘incredibly terrifying’ for those present in the post office at the time.
Garret Baker SC, the defence counsel, confirmed that Conlon submitted early pleas and struggles with addiction problems. It was also recognized that none of the post office robbery victims suffered physical harm and Conlon has been in prison for a significant part of his adult life.
Mr Baker’s client, who understands the inevitability of his prison sentence, is ‘realistic’ in his approach. Conlon is in a stable long-term relationship, with his partner in court to express her support for him.
Judge Nolan decreed an 18-month sentence for the Hugo Boss break-in and an additional six-year term for the post office robbery. This judgement was backdated to the 11th November, 2023.