A man who broke into a parochial house and stole a priest's laptop has been sentenced to 16 months.
Appearing at Newry Crown Court, John Richard McDonagh (49) was ordered to spend half his sentence in jail and half on licence.
Describing the burglary as “mean,” the Judge Gordon Kerr QC said McDonagh had stolen goods “which were undoubtedly of great use to the priest in carrying out his duties in behalf of the community.”
McDonagh, of no fixed abode, appeared at court by videolink from prison and entered a guilty plea to a single count of burglary of the parochial house on the Chapel Road in Meigh on May 5, 2015.
Prosecuting counsel Geraldine McCullough told the court that just after lunchtime that day, the resident priest returned to his home to find the back door had been forced open and someone had looked through the kitchen cupboards and his office.
His laptop, charging lead and money bags containing approximately £20 were stolen during the break in. McDonagh was spotted close to the parochial house by a local resident who later picked him out of a police identity parade.
Ms McCullough said police enquiries led them to an address in Co Louth, adding that when it was searched by the gardaí, they uncovered a “myriad of stolen goods.”
McDonagh was due to appear in court in 2015 but failed to appear and a warrant, which was executed earlier this year, was issued for his arrest.