Burglar Jailed After Trail of Compost Leads Gardaí to His Door
Bizarre/Strange
Today (11 hours ago)
2 minute read.
A man who stole €500 worth of gardening goods from a garden centre in Ennis has been sentenced to six months in prison after a trail of compost led Gardaí directly to his home.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a nine-month prison sentence on 38-year-old Eamon Quinn, suspending the final three months. The sentence was backdated to 17 March, the date Quinn was taken into custody.
Quinn pleaded guilty to entering Vaughan’s Garden Centre, located in the Gort Road Industrial Estate on Ennis’s Gort Road, late on the night of 10 February as a trespasser, with the intention of committing theft. The offence falls under Section 12 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.
The court heard that Quinn had stolen flowers, shrubs, and stone ornaments, placing them in a trolley before pushing it along the footpath towards his nearby home in Aughanteeroe, less than 1 kilometre away. A trail of compost was left along the route, which Gardaí followed to locate the stolen items in his back garden.
Solicitor Tara Godfrey, representing Quinn, said: "The Gardaí then follow the trail of compost and find pots and various gardening items that have been stolen from Vaughans in his back garden and Eamon Quinn is arrested, charged and comes to court and pleads guilty."
She described the circumstances surrounding the incident as "cartoonish". Godfrey said that Quinn "apologises for the offence" and noted that some of the stolen goods were recovered.
The solicitor added that her client does not have a clear memory of the incident, attributing this to medication prescribed for health difficulties. Quinn had suffered an acquired brain injury following a road traffic accident several years ago.
"He had been a promising chef and that is something he will go back to time to time," she said.
Godfrey also explained that Quinn experienced a particularly difficult period in late 2023, during which his father was dying and he spent six weeks in hospital due to repeated seizures. At the time of the theft, Quinn was homeless and living with his brother-in-law.
Sergeant Frank O’Grady told the court that Quinn has 66 previous convictions, including 15 for theft and five for burglary.
Judge Gabbett considered the contents of a Probation Report and Quinn’s guilty plea before deciding on the sentence.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a nine-month prison sentence on 38-year-old Eamon Quinn, suspending the final three months. The sentence was backdated to 17 March, the date Quinn was taken into custody.
Quinn pleaded guilty to entering Vaughan’s Garden Centre, located in the Gort Road Industrial Estate on Ennis’s Gort Road, late on the night of 10 February as a trespasser, with the intention of committing theft. The offence falls under Section 12 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.
The court heard that Quinn had stolen flowers, shrubs, and stone ornaments, placing them in a trolley before pushing it along the footpath towards his nearby home in Aughanteeroe, less than 1 kilometre away. A trail of compost was left along the route, which Gardaí followed to locate the stolen items in his back garden.
Solicitor Tara Godfrey, representing Quinn, said: "The Gardaí then follow the trail of compost and find pots and various gardening items that have been stolen from Vaughans in his back garden and Eamon Quinn is arrested, charged and comes to court and pleads guilty."
She described the circumstances surrounding the incident as "cartoonish". Godfrey said that Quinn "apologises for the offence" and noted that some of the stolen goods were recovered.
The solicitor added that her client does not have a clear memory of the incident, attributing this to medication prescribed for health difficulties. Quinn had suffered an acquired brain injury following a road traffic accident several years ago.
"He had been a promising chef and that is something he will go back to time to time," she said.
Godfrey also explained that Quinn experienced a particularly difficult period in late 2023, during which his father was dying and he spent six weeks in hospital due to repeated seizures. At the time of the theft, Quinn was homeless and living with his brother-in-law.
Sergeant Frank O’Grady told the court that Quinn has 66 previous convictions, including 15 for theft and five for burglary.
Judge Gabbett considered the contents of a Probation Report and Quinn’s guilty plea before deciding on the sentence.
