A 23-year-old burglar, who went on a crime spree after he was released on bail to attend a residential treatment centre, will never rehabilitate if he does not confront issues from his childhood, a court has heard.
Gerard Barry, 17 Leas an Coille, Ballybane, was released on bail last February by Judge Rory McCabe at Galway Circuit Criminal Court, after the judge was told he was prepared to undergo treatment and counselling at a residential treatment centre.
A condition of his bail was that he remain in the treatment centre but Barry left and was arrested and charged last October with a spate of new burglary and robbery offences.
Barry had pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in November 2014, to five sample charges of burglaries at houses in Rinn Luachra, Cnoc na Coille and Castlepark on May 25 last year.
He pleaded guilty also to causing criminal damage to window and door locks at two other houses in Rinn Luachra on the same date.
Sergeant Darragh Browne gave evidence at the time that Barry broke into nine houses on the night of May 25 last year; six houses in Rinn Luachra, two in Cnoc na Coille and one in Castlepark,
He attempted five other burglaries on the same night while damage totalling €1,500 was done to all of the houses.
Barry was subsequently charged with fourteen counts of burglary and criminal damage and pleaded guilty to five of the charges.
Barry told Gardai at the time of his arrest that he had taken a concoction of sleeping tablets on the night. He claimed he could not remember the break-ins and woke up later with the two bags of stolen items beside him.
Sgt. Browne said all of the items were recovered and returned to the owners but no compensation for the damage caused to the houses was ever paid.
He added Barry had no history of employment and had 37 previous convictions, including nine for burglary, one for robbery and two for thefts.
Defence barrister, Geri Silke said Barry had been in custody since May 26 last year.
She said he suffered from ADHD, had a long history of alcohol and drug abuse but now wanted to change his life around.
At that time, Judge Rory McCabe sought assurances from Ms Silke that concrete plans with support services for Barry’s rehabilitation were put in place before he would be released from custody.
That chance came in February, when Judge McCabe finally released Barry from custody.
Ms Silke told the court then that her client was now engaging with the probation service and finally wanted to get treatment for his drug and alcohol addictions.
She said he had a good relationship with his parents and would be living with his father, Carlo Barry.
“Ideally, he would like to get a place of his own. He is very bright and very anxious to get on,” Ms Silke said of her client.
Judge McCabe placed Barry on a probation bond for six months on terms as set out in the latest probation report on him handed into court.
The judge said the court would review the matter again in July and he wished Barry well in his rehabilitation process.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy was not as optimistic. He asked for liberty to re-enter the matter at any stage in the event Barry breached any of the terms of his bail bond.
Mr Fahy was right to be cautious.
Barry was brought back before the court recently in custody. It heard he had left a residential treatment programme he had been engaged in as part of his bail conditions.
Det. Sgt. Willie Byrne gave evidence Barry was arrested on October 4 last in relation to a robbery with violence and he had since been charged with that.
He said Barry had also been charged with two other robberies, two burglaries and with taking a car. All of the offences, he said, occurred between September 7 and October 4 last.
He said Barry had also been charged with assaulting a female prison officer in Castlerea on October 23.
He confirmed the charges had not yet come before the courts.
Ms Silke said Barry was accepting what he did was wrong and he did get into trouble. She said he had been staying off everything for five months and in treatment but when he came to the stage in his treatment where he had to discuss things that happened in his youth, he was not able to deal with that.
“He lost the head and left the treatment centre and took drugs and drink,” she said.
Ms Silke said she knew that Barry had psychological problems and he would need the help of a psychologist to help him confront his past.
Judge Rory McCabe said the only way Barry would get help was if he got it in a controlled environment.
Ms Silke said Barry was very intelligent and what he was doing was such a waste of a life.
Judge McCabe remanded Barry in continuing custody to March 15 and directed he be assessed by a psychologist while in prison.
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