Two men who staked out the home of a couple in their 80s in order to carry out a burglary when they left for mass were "greeted" by gardaí when they prised open a back window of the property with a screwdriver.
Jerry O'Leary, 62, of Brandon Crescent in Dillons Cross, Cork and Niall Fitzpatrick, 53, were jailed for seven years for the planned burglary at Freemont in Charleville, Cork on 19 October 2019.
The men appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court where they pleaded guilty to entering a house as a trespasser to commit a theft.
Fitzpatrick, of Corrin Close, The Glen, Cork also pleaded guilty to driving a car without a driving licence or insurance.
Det Inspector Vincent O'Sullivan told the court that on 17 October last year they received intelligence that the men planned to carry out a burglary in Charleville.
They saw the men drive to a wooded area near their property of choice where they stayed for a number of hours.
It is understood that the men were monitoring the movements of the 88 and 86-year-old married couple who reside in the house.
It was the belief of gardaí that the men planned to rob the house whilst the occupants were at mass.
They told the couple of their suspicions and asked them to attend mass as usual.
The pensioners agreed to allow gardaí into their house whilst they were at mass.
The couple left for mass shortly before 6pm on 19 October last.
Shortly after they departed, Fitzpatrick and O'Leary attempted to break into the property.
O'Leary went in the back window where he was met by armed gardaí.
The pair were arrested and detained for questioning for two days at the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork.
They failed to cooperate with gardaí.
Jerry O'Leary has 48 previous convictions. One of his convictions involves a robbery of a similar nature in Bohehue, Co Cork in 2007.
On that occasion, gardaí also became aware of his activity.
He was confronted by gardaí who were lying in wait at the property.
Barrister Sineád Behan said that the only weapon used during the robbery was a screwdriver to open the window.
She said that Jerry O'Leary had entered a guilty plea at an early age and was suffering from ill-health.
He had a number of financial issues at the time of the robbery. He is the father of a six-month old-baby.
Niall Fitzpatrick has 70 previous convictions, including one for armed robbery.
The court heard that he was deeply remorseful for his actions and would hate to think that something similar could happen to his elderly mother.
He admitted he would be "terrified" if she underwent a similar trauma.
Fitzpatrick indicated to the court that he would like to work on a fishing trawler upon his release from prison.
He is the father of five children and all are under the age of 14.
His last Circuit Court conviction was in 2003. He has no previous convictions for robbery of an elderly person.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin described the men as two "dedicated and committed criminals" who were unlikely to ever change until "they have had enough".
He described their behaviour as a "virus" in the community and stated that such burglaries were "hurtful, worrying, disruptive and frightening" to the community.
He said that the men had undertaken a stakeout of the area.
"The level of dedication is unusual to see and puts it in a different plateau."
He sentenced the men to seven years in prison. Fitzpatrick received an additional six-month sentence to run concurrently and a driving disqualification arising out of his motoring offences.
