A man has been jailed for 11 years for the false imprisonment of a mother and her young daughter in their home.
Declan Murphy, 53, and at least two other men forced their way into the family property on the morning of December 13, 2013.
They used cable ties to tie up the woman and her eight-year-old daughter and then ransacked the house in Howth, Co Dublin.
The men took €27,000 in cash and more than €30,000 worth of jewellery before making off in the woman’s 4x4 vehicle. It was found abandoned with a flat tyre a short time later in Howth village.
Gardai examined CCTV to link the burglary to a white van registered to a man named Eamon Brennan, now dead. Brennan, 35, of Woodfarm Cottages, Palmerstown, and Murphy were charged in 2016.
During a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last February the defence raised issues over the use of mobile phone evidence, with some legal reference to the Graham Dwyer civil appeal.
After this legal argument ended Murphy changed his pleas, pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and to two false imprisonment charges.
In a victim impact statement the woman told the court the incident had a profound effect on her life. She said she is now afraid to be alone in her home.
Judge Pauline Codd added the significant aggravating factors were the premeditation and the pre-planning.
