DNA from bloody towel leads to conviction of Cork city burglar

A COUPLE in their 90s returned to their home in Cork city to find that an intruder had smashed his way in through a bedroom window and left a bloody towel at the scene after him.

Judge Olann Kelleher said it was awful that a couple of this age had to deal with something like that at this late stage in their lives.

Detective Garda Robert McCarthy said the blood at the scene of the crime was forensically examined and the DNA analysis linked it to Kenneth Duggan of 65 Ballinderry Park, Mayfield, Cork.

Duggan was jailed at Cork District Court for ten months in respect of this burglary and two six-month sentences for other burglaries, those sentences made consecutive to the ten months, leaving him with a total jail term of 16 months.

Shane Collins Daly, defence solicitor, said the accused had pleaded guilty to three burglaries at the earliest opportunity. He also cooperated with the garda investigation into the crimes.

Sergeant Gearóid Davis said the accused had 128 previous convictions including 38 counts for carrying out burglaries and five for theft.

Det. Garda McCarthy said the couple in their 90s returned to their home on August 29 last and noticed that a bedroom window had been broken.

The house was not ransacked but it had been disturbed by the intruder and a bloodstained towel left at the scene. The burglar appeared to have cut himself while smashing the window and getting in to the house.

As well as the DNA match for Kenneth Duggan there was video evidence from a neighbour’s CCTV.

The elderly householders presented a victim impact report to the court through the investigating officer but this was not read out in court. Judge Kelleher read the statement.

Also on that date at another Mayfield address at Iona Park, Duggan was forcing the backdoor when the householder was alerted by the noise. Duggan fled the scene without getting anything.

Earlier on August 16 he turned up at the home of a woman in her 70s. The householder returned home to find someone had broken in through a kitchen window and stolen €1,000 worthy of jewellery. The woman lives alone in the house in the Silverheights area.