Man 'up to no good' when he attacked house
Published 3 Oct 2012 11:40
A 46-year-old man moved in "criminal circles" when he was assaulted and "left for dead" and was suspected of being "up to no good" when he attacked the window of a house with a screwdriver.
Michael McCaffrey was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years, when he appeared at Fermanagh Court and admitted causing criminal damage.
District Judge Liam McNally told him: "I haven't really been given any explanation as to why you broke this window, other than you were under the influence, but I suspect you were up to no good at this particular time of the day."
He ordered McCaffrey, from Carrowshee Park, Lisnaskea, to pay £54 compensation to the Housing Executive.
A prosecutor told the court that on Saturday, April 28, police received a report that McCaffrey had smashed a window at the rear of a house at Trasna Way in Lisnaskea. He had been seen scraping the window with a screwdriver before hitting the glass three times, causing it to smash. He was arrested a couple of days later and denied being in the area at the time. He was picked out during a Viper identification procedure but continued to deny being in the area at the time and smashing the window.
Defence solicitor, Mr. Myles McManus, said McCaffrey, an unemployed father of two, accepted alcohol was the main contributing factor in this case. He had discussed the matter with his doctor and was addressing the issue.
Mr. McManus asked for McCaffrey to be given credit for "turning over a new leaf". He had been involved in "criminal circles" in 2000 when he was the victim of a very serious assault and "left for dead". As a result of the attack he had left the criminal circles and moved to Lisnaskea and there hadn't been an entry on his criminal record for the past 11 years.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 02 Oct 12
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