Intruder at rural Cork home told pensioner householder: 'God sent me'

A bizarre intrusion into the rural home of a 75-year-old man saw the intruder sitting on a closed toilet lid listening to a religious ceremony on his phone and telling the householder: “God sent me.” 

Trevor Morey (38) of no fixed address had been cycling around in the area and happened upon the house, defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said adding that the accused had mental health issues.

Judge Mary Dorgan and Mr Buttimer both agreed that the 75-year-old householder had written the most extraordinarily fair victim impact statement they had ever seen.

Judge Dorgan said that without disclosing the victim’s name she would quote from the victim impact statement, in which the householder commended the professionalism of the gardaí who arrived at the scene.

Bizarre

“The whole episode was bizarre. I heard a burst of loud music and realised it was coming from inside the house. I went up the stairs and to my absolute incredulity discovered this man sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, staring at arm’s length at his phone and concentrating on what sounded like a sermon from one of the quasi-biblical stations that broadcast in the Cork area.

“I roared, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ He was sideways on to me and made no move to a defensive posture but said in a matter of fact voice, ‘God sent me,’ and resumed his focus on his phone.

“It was weirdly disconcerting as opposed to frightening. He clearly viewed me as a mildly irritating distraction from the serious phone business. Having given me the perfunctory answer the audience was now over.

“I went downstairs, quietened my dogs, made a cup of tea and tried to decide on my next move. After a few minutes I went up again and asked him, ‘How would you feel if I call the guards?’ He considered me for a few seconds but didn’t seem to register the question and then went back to the phone. He didn’t respond. I went downstairs and rang the emergency number.

“No attempt had been made to steal any items. No aggressive words or actions were perpetrated by the individual to me.

“I subsequently noticed that I had left a claw-hammer among some other tools on a windowsill at the top of the stairs, which might have been availed of by someone with violence in mind. He would have passed this and ignored it en route to the bathroom. All in all, I was at the time and still remain convinced that he was not compos mentis on the night.” 

Charges

Detective Garda Alan Johnson brought the charges against Trevor Morey of trespassing at the pensioner’s home and assaulting Garda Declan O’Dwyer who arrived at the scene at Carrigrohane, Ballincollig, County Cork, on April 5.

A burglary charge was dropped and replaced with the trespass count as there was nothing to support the view that there was any intention to commit any offence inside the house.

Judge Dorgan said: “This is a sentencing conundrum – I don’t have a substantive matter of burglary. The DPP directed withdrawal of the burglary charge and replaced it with trespassing and assaulting the guard.” 

The maximum penalty available on the charges is six months and the accused has already spent three and a half months in custody since his arrest at the scene of the crime.

The judge indicated that she was contemplating a sentence of five months, backdated to when he went into custody, and with the balance of the sentence suspended for him to engage with the probation service. 

The accused is to be brought from prison to court on July 30 to finalise this order.