A foreign national whose identity remains uncertain has been jailed for two years for burglary at a top Dublin hotel and use of a stolen credit card to buy luxury items at city centre jewellers.
The man had escaped from a UK prison where he was serving a sentence for similar crimes just ten days before committing the offences in Dublin. Gardai were assisted by reports in UK newspapers in apprehending the individual who may also be wanted in France and America.
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Juan Carlos Guzman Betancourt, sentenced to two years in jail for burglary. |
Judge Katherine Delahunt backdated the two year sentence to June 2005 when he entered custody in Ireland. She said he was "clearly a man who likes the finer things in life but might not be prepared to pay for them in the normal way". She also said it was clear that he was not a criminal mastermind.
B etancourt 's extradition to the UK to serve the remainder of a three and a half-year sentence of which he had served eight weeks before absconding may be sought upon the termination of his sentence in Ireland.
The defendant, known to Interpol as Juan Carlos Guzman Betancourt (29) from Columbia but claiming to be Alejandro Cuenca (25) from Spain, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to entering a suite in the Merrion Hotel, as a trespasser and stealing a ruby ring, a passport, a wallet containing credit cards, US$3,500 cash and €250 cash on June 16th, 2005.
He also pleaded guilty to using a stolen credit card in the name of Ms Robin Westbrook, to buy a Rolex watch, a nine carat gold chain and 18 carat wedding ring at jewellers on Grafton Street and O'Connell Street on the same date.
Detective Garda Brian McGlinn told Mr Paul Greene BL, prosecuting, that B etancourt gained access to a three bedroom suite on the third floor of the Merrion Hotel, Merrion Square, where guests from Beverly Hills, California were staying.
Betancourt then took cash, jewellery, credit cards and a passport from the safe, resealed it and left the hotel.
The American guests at the Merrion hotel discovered that items were missing from the safe the following morning as they were checking out and contacted gardai.