A man in his twenties who used an axe to break into a house leading a fearful mother and son to take refuge in an upstairs room has been jailed for three years.
Michael Martin (21) from Mount Brosna, Mayfield, Cork will also serve a further two-year sentence for another crime which had been handed down in the form of a suspended sentence.
Mr Martin appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court having pleaded guilty to an aggravated burglary which occurred at a house at Meadow Park in Ballyvolane on the northside of Cork city on October 24th, 2020.
Dt Sgt Kieran O'Sullivan said that a 58-year-old woman resides in the house with her adult son. At 1.43am on the night of the burglary gardaí responded to a call from a woman who said that a man had broken into her house.
Gardai rushed to the scene. When they arrived at the house they found the side gate open. They subsequently discovered the back door to the house had been smashed and opened.
Escape
Det Sgt O' Sullivan said that gardai entered the property where they found Mr Martin armed with an axe. Mr Martin dropped the axe and tried to escape out the front of the house.
The court heard that the woman and her son had taken refuge in an upstairs bedroom. The locked themselves in but had to try and hold the door shut after Mr Martin attempted to force his way into the room. They also warned him that they had called gardaí in the hope that it would make him leave the property.
Mr Martin admitted to gardaí that he had taken cocaine on the night in question.
Dt Sgt O'Sullivan said that Mr Martin attempted to flee from garda custody while on a cigarette break outside Mayfield Garda Station. He was apprehended a short distance away.
Previous convictions
He said that the injured parties had to pay €350 to repair damage to their rear door. He stated that Martin had 41 previous convictions including convictions for burglary and robbery.
Barrister Niamh Stewart, representing Mr Martin, said that her client was very remorseful. He believed the house was unoccupied on the night in question.
Ms Stewart said that her client was on cocaine on the night of the offence. He had suffered considerable trauma following a bereavement in his family. He apologised to the victims in the case.
Judge Sean O'Donnabhain said he had no alternative but to have Martin serve out the remainder of a two-year suspended sentence previously handed down in the court.
He said that it was "alarming" that Martin continued to "mooch around" when he realised the house was occupied. He said that Martin had "no regard for the occupants." However, he added that Martin did not confront the occupants and there was no violence in the case.
He jailed him for three years consecutive to the two-year sentence previously handed down by the court for a separate offence.
