A man who claims he turned to a life of crime because he had the same name as his uncle, has received sentences totalling nine years in prison with the final eighteen months suspended.
Gerard Barry (23), from 15 Glenbaun, Ballybane, received the sentences at Galway Circuit Criminal Court for a spate of sometimes violent offences committed across the city in recent years while he was out on bail.
Barry was already serving a seven-month sentence, imposed at Galway District Court in February, for stealing a tourist’s luggage from a bus.
He appeared before the Circuit Court in March where he pleaded guilty to burglary at a house in Slieve Rua, Ballybane and to stealing a car from outside the house on October 4 last year – a month after the theft from the bus.
He also pleaded guilty to the robbery of €50 cash from a man at Newcastle Road on the same date.
Barry further pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery of another man at Doughiska Road on October 8 last and to producing a blade during the course of that attempted robbery.
Garda Jason Kelly said the first set of charges before the court related to the attempted robbery at Fearann Rí, Doughiska on September 8 last year.
He said a young man was sitting in his car with three of his friends when Barry and another youth approached.
Barry asked the driver for a light and then asked him if he had any weapons or knives in the car. The young man said he didn’t carry any weapons.
Barry said he should because people like him could be around. He then pulled a Stanley blade on the driver and ordered him to hand over his money and mobile phone. The driver refused and Barry tried to force open the driver’s door.
Barry lunged in the driver’s window with the blade and tried to hit the driver’s arm but the young man managed to fend Barry off while starting the engine. Barry tried to pull the keys out of the ignition but the young man succeeded in driving off.
The driver made a complaint to Gardaí and identified Barry for them, but he managed to evade arrest until October 4 last year, when he was arrested for another offence.
He admitted during a second interview that he had tried to rob the driver at knifepoint.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy, said the driver was a foreign national. He didn’t want to make a victim impact statement and had told Gardaí he just wanted to put the encounter behind him.
Garda Kelly confirmed Barry had 38 previous convictions for thefts, burglaries, blackmail and extortion, dangerous driving, stealing cars, damaging property, robbery, hit and run and various other road traffic offences.
Defence barrister, Geri Silke said all of Barry’s offences started when a member of his family was arrested for a serious criminal offence.
“He has the same name. It’s been following him around all the time,” she said.
Garda David Foley gave evidence that on October 4 last year, Barry forced the rear door of a house in Slieve Rua with a crowbar while the occupants were asleep upstairs. He stole a set of car keys and stole a car parked outside on the driveway.
Garda Foley said a lot of damage was done to the car and it’s owner was very upset.
The Garda read the young man’s victim impact statement to the court.
“Everything I worked for and saved for was taken that night by someone who never worked a day in his life.
“My mode of transport which I used to earn my living was taken away from me.
“We got a dog and fitted new locks in our home.
“When someone breaks into your home, suddenly it’s not your home any more,” he said.
The young man went on to explain the economic cost he had to endure as a result of Barry’s actions.
He said he had to get taxis to work and his car, which he had worked so hard for, was destroyed.
“It’s difficult to pick up the pieces of this mess, but at least my mother can sleep at night now, knowing he can’t break in again for a few years, thank God,” he added.
Garda Emmet Rock gave evidence in relation to a robbery which took place outside the Londis shop in Newcastle on October 4 last year – a short time after Barry stole the car from outside the house in Slieve Rua.
He said a van driver stopped to get a coffee and parked across the road from the shop.
As he was leaving the shop a youth in a silver car called him over and told him he had just been stopped for drunken driving and he then demanded the man give him all his money.
The man became frightened and ran to his van but Barry followed him, kicking him in the legs.
The man managed to get into the van but Barry punched him three times in the jaw.
Barry tried to get into the driver’s seat and tried to take the keys out of the ignition, but something spooked him and he stopped and ran over to the car.
It was the car he had stolen earlier that night from outside the house in Slieve Rua.
Garda Rock read the man’s victim impact statement to the court.
“Not in a million years did I think this would happen. I was on the was on the way to work that night when I stopped to get a coffee.
“I no longer like driving at night. I frighten very easily now and I get nervous if strangers approach me,” he said.
The man said he had to tell his young children what had happened when they quizzed him about the cuts on his face.
“They worry all the time now when I leave the house and that is something they should not have to go through,” he said in his statement.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy said Barry pleaded guilty in November 2014 to a spate of burglaries and criminal damage charges. He had subsequently failed to keep any appointments with the probation service.
The service deemed Barry to be at a very high risk of re-offending in February 2015.
Mr Fahy reminded Judge Rory McCabe that he let Barry out on bail that February on condition he attend Hyde Park treatment centre and remain there until his course of treatment was complete.
However, Barry left that treatment centre shortly after going there and went drinking and taking drugs.
He has been in custody since his arrest on October 4 last year for the theft of the car and the subsequent attack on the van driver that night.
Ms Silke confirmed Barry had gone to Hyde Park treatment centre last July but left it when he was asked to confront issues from his childhood.
She said his criminal behaviour began in 2009 after his uncle who has the same name, committed “a serious offence.”
She said he turned to drink and drugs, but since going into prison (for the District Court offences) he had managed to avoid drugs and now had a cleaning job.
“He’s a gorgeous young man, a lovely young man when he’s not drinking,” Ms Silke observed.
Judge McCabe pointed out all of these serious offences were committed while Barry was out on bail for the 2014 burglary and criminal damage offences.
He said Barry had been given many opportunities by courts in the past to take hold of his life but had chosen not to do so.
Reading reports handed into court, the judge said Barry’s psychological profile showed he had no psychiatric disorder.
Given the significant criminal history, the Judge said there was no getting away from a custodial sentence.
He then imposed various sentences totalling nine years.
He suspended the final 18 months of the sentence giving Barry further credit for time already spent inside.
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