A RAIDER wearing a balaclava prodded a loaded sawn-off shotgun into the stomach of a Co Clare woman and told her he would blow her head off in the course of an armed robbery, a court has heard.
At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Det Garda Sgt Kevin O’Hagan said Simon Gentles (26) also pointed the weapon in the face of Nora Fitzpatrick’s son Barry (14) during the raid at the Fitzpatrick home at Ardkyle, Sixmilebridge, on January 7th, 2010.
A victim impact statement read out in court said that Barry feared for the life of his mother and his own life “and thought the man was going to shoot us”.
Gentles, Casement Grove, Finglas, Dublin, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary with a shotgun. Noel O’Callaghan (50) and Martin O’Callaghan (23), Finian Park, Shannon, also pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said Gentles burst into the Fitzpatrick home demanding to know where the safe was. Ms Fitzpatrick and her son were in the sitting room.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said “the intruder pointed the shotgun at both of them and demanded to know the whereabouts of the safe. Mrs Fitzpatrick told him that there was no safe in the house and he must have got the wrong house.”
He said the intruder searched the house and talked by phone with an accomplice. Ms Fitzpatrick heard him say that he might be in the wrong house. He then left with a lap-top.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said Ms Fitzpatrick showed great fortitude during the raid and that no harm was done to the Fitzpatricks.
Gentles has 82 previous convictions. Asked how he came to be in contact with the O’Callaghans, the detective sergeant said Gentles met Martin O’Callaghan in prison.
Gardaí had formally notified Gentles of a threat to his life and he had moved to Limerick.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said the O’Callaghans were originally from Limerick and he described Noel O’Callaghan as a career criminal with 33 convictions going back to 1979. Martin O’Callaghan grew up in Moyross, Limerick and had 50 previous convictions.
Judge Carroll Moran adjourned sentencing to February 6th.
