Local NS principal helps convict school raid gang

THE evidence given by the Cloghans Hill NS Principal helped convict a member of a gang which Gardai said they believed specialised in burglarising primary schools in the Galway, Mayo, Roscommon areas over a long period. Iseult Mangan gave evidence that she arrived with her young daughter to her school at 8.20 am on the morning of October 10, 2011. When she entered the building she became aware that there were people inside and as she came through the door of her office she saw Michael McDonagh climbing out the window. She then heard someone coughing in another room and rang for the Gardai. By this time her fellow teacher had arrived and they were advised not to confront the intruders but to lock themselves in their cars until the Gardai arrived. Before the Court were Thomas McDonagh of 2 Castle Hill Park, Castlebar and Michael McDonagh of 56 An Sruthain, Castlebar who, according to their own solicitor, are part of a large family and grew up around â€Å“an environment of offendingâ€Â. Judge Geoffrey Browne was told that detectives investigating the school burglaries became aware that one of the main suspects, Michael McDonagh, would be attending Tuam Court. They asked Iseult Mangan to accompany a detective and observe the comings and goings outside the Court on October 25, 2011. She told the Court that she identified McDonagh on sight and had no doubt that this was the man she confronted in her school.[private] Gary Mulchrone solr (defending) argued that Gardai should have set up a formal identity parade and suggested that it may have been indicated to her that his client was â€Å“in the frameâ€Â. However, investigating detectives insisted that the witness was 100 per cent certain of her identification and as such they did not feel the formal route was necessary. She told detectives the man she saw was about the height of a sixth class child and when challenged by the defence on this she replied that some of her sixth class pupils were taller than her. She added that Claremorris-based Detective Sergeant James Carroll who accompanied her in the car outside the Court, asked her three or four times if she was absolutely sure. When he was satisfied he phoned a colleague sitting in another car on Vicar Street who moved in and arrested McDonagh. Praised for coolness Ms Mangan was praised by Insp Michael Oâ€â„¢Dwyer for her coolness in a very frightening and difficult situation and for the clear and precise way in which she assisted the investigation and gave evidence in Court. She said the school lost computers, cameras, key cards and other equipment valued at €8,700. None of the stolen items was ever recovered. The Department of Education had provided some but much of it was purchased through fund-raising and a supermarket token scheme. The school is still at a loss as only some of the equipment has been replaced. The gang had gained entry using keys that were stolen during a previous burglary. Armed Support Unit Both defendants were also convicted in relation to break-ins at Claran NS, Headford and Glencorrib NS. There was a large presence in Court of Gardai from Mayo as well as members of the Armed Support Unit who assisted their colleagues in the capture of the McDonagh brothers outside Claran NS on the night it and Glencorrib NS were robbed. The case took many hours to hear as a strenuous defence was mounted on the McDonagh brothers behalf. While they were willing to admit handling stolen property from Claran and Glencorrib schools, including principal Mr McHughâ€â„¢s phone from Claran NS, they did not plead to burglary and stealing them. Gardai witnesses said they suspected the McDonaghs of being involved in a spate of school burglaries, concentrated in the Mayo area but spreading out into Sligo, Roscommon and Galway. Schools were targeted in September when cash was likely to be kept for the purchase of school books and new teaching equipment. The defence argued that the Gardai had no forensic evidence such as fingerprints and it was not enough to build a case relying solely on the eye-witness evidence of one person, Iseult Mangan. Insp Oâ€â„¢Dwyer showed that Gardai had found gloves, tools, and an envelope with cash addressed to one of the schools robbed when the two defendants were apprehended outside Claran NS. â€Å“This man was caught in the act,â€Â Insp Oâ€â„¢Dwyer said, referring to Cloghans Hill NS and Judge Browne said he was satisfied with her evidence and the case compiled by the Gardai Judge Browne said the claims that they only handled goods stolen from two of the schools and were not involved in the burglaries, were not credible. He convicted both, imposing 20 months in prison on each, with the final three months suspended. He also congratulated the Gardai for what he described as a difficult case to prosecute and hoped their efforts would bring to an end the spate of robberies which had plagued schools in the region. Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.[/private]