William Moorehouse (37), a father-of-five with an address in Old Connaught, Bray, pleaded guilty at Wicklow Circuit Court to one count of burglary.
Garda Emma Jane Doyle from Newtownmountkennedy Garda Station stood in on behalf of a colleague to testify that in May 2025, gardaí received a call from a homeowner to respond to a burglary at an address in Bray.
James Kelly SC, counsel for the prosecution, told the court that the homeowner noticed his hall door open and had put it down to tenants who live at his home leaving it open. He continued into the kitchen where he began to prepare dinner. He then heard noises coming from a back bedroom at the property.
When in the room, the victim had a physical tussle with Mr Moorehouse and held him down by his wrists. He received some blows to the head from Mr Moorehouse kicking him. He also found the defendant in possession of a sock containing jewellery belonging to his wife.
Mr Kelly told the court that the victim didn’t sustain any major injuries other than a few bruises. Gda Doyle informed the court that when charged, Mr Moorehouse refused to engage with gardaí when giving a statement. He was also in possession of €5 worth of cannabis and some street tablets.
Mr Kelly informed the court that Mr Moorehouse has 104 previous convictions, with 27 of them for burglaries dating back to his first offence in 2007.
Justin McQuade BL, barrister for the defence and instructed by Brendan Maloney, told the court that his client was under the influence of drugs during the robbery and had suffered from an addiction to alcohol and street tablets.
“Sadly, my client admits he has spent over 50 pc of his adult life incarcerated,” said Mr McQuade.
The court heard that the accused is one of eight children and is a father himself to five kids, with a sixth on the way as his current partner is pregnant.
The court was told that Mr Moorehouse’s life could be described as tragic. Counsel for the defendant said that Mr Moorehouse had pleaded guilty at the first possible opportunity.
Judge Patrick Quinn noted that Mr Moorehouse had pleaded guilty on October 8, acknowledging his involvement in the theft. Judge Quinn accepted there were mitigating factors and “difficult personal circumstances at play”. He said the plea was of utility, meriting the maximum discount available.
He imposed a sentence of four years’ imprisonment, with 18 months suspended for 18 months, and the sentence backdated to August 26.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme