A Tralee man has been sentenced to nine months in prison after sneaking into hotel rooms to steal money.
42-year-old Trevor O’Callaghan of 1, Basin Court Tralee, appeared before Tralee District Court in relation to four charges of burglary.
The burglaries were from rooms in the Grand Hotel, Tralee, and the Tralee Town Apartments complex, on four separate dates in July and August.
Tralee District Court was told that on the 29th of July, and again on the 15th of August, Mr O’Callaghan entered the premises of the Grand Hotel.
From the fire escape, he gained access to hotel rooms by climbing in windows that were left open walked up the stairs to the bedroom area.
On one occasion, he took an envelope with an unknown amount of cash in it, and on the other took €3, but had searched and disturbed the room.
The court heard that Mr O’Callaghan also attempted this on the 31st of July, but was seen in a restricted area by a member of staff at the Grand Hotel, who escorted him off the premises.
The court was also told that on the 17th of August this year, Mr O’Callaghan was seen entering the Tralee Town Apartments by the female cleaner on duty.
She knew he was not one of the residents, and she saw him check a number of apartment doors in the complex.
The court heard that when the cleaner returned to her cleaning station, she found her purse had been taken.
On all occasions, Mr O’Callaghan, who has 129 previous convictions, was observed and identified on CCTV.
Judge Joanne Carroll said that the guests in the hotel had booked rooms, felt they were safe and would have left the windows open in the heat of August and July, to find a man has climbed in to their room.
The court also heard that Mr O’Callaghan had been sentenced in April this year to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, for a burglary; a sentence that is still active.
Defending solicitor Padraig O’Connell said that Mr O’Callaghan has a serious gambling addiction, and it would have been worse if guests had been in the rooms when Mr O’Callaghan entered them.
Judge Joanne Carroll said an elderly person could have been staying there, having probably saved for their holidays.
She said this was very disconcerting, and that Mr O’Callaghan, having been sentenced in Waterford in April, came on a campaign to Tralee to commit burglaries.
She sentenced him to three consecutive three-month sentences in relation to the two burglaries from the Grand Hotel, and the burglary from Tralee Town Apartments.
