A 29-year-old man who stole a sheep and also cut the throat of a pregnant sheep near Killarney has been handed a 16-month prison sentence, with six months suspended.
A victim impact statement by farmer Con O’Riordan at the circuit criminal court in Tralee spoke of his horror and shock at what he came upon. The barbaric act has not left him, the farmer - who had to pay the costs of the disposal - also said.
Hungarian native Richard Daroczi, previously of Ely O’Carroll Place, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, pleaded guilty to stealing “a ewe sheep in lamb” worth €500, the property of Con O’Riordan, on 5 January at Cummeenabrick, Clonkeen, Kerry.
He also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.
He was assisted by a Hungarian translator and was represented by barrister Kate O’Connell, instructed by solicitor Eimear Griffin.
Evidence
In evidence to prosecutor Tom Rice, Garda sergeant Nigel Shevlin said that Con O’Riordan is a sheep farmer living in Kilgarvan who has land at Cummeenabrick, Clonkeen.
"It’s sheep country and there are no residential properties there," sgt Shevlin said.
The flock was in-lamb.
At 12.45pm on 5 January last, Richard Daroczi pulled up at O’Brien’s filling station and got fuel and drove off without paying, the Garda outlined.
That afternoon, Mr O’Riordan was on his land and he saw the accused with one of the sheep which was an in-lamb ewe.
Daroczi said the sheep was his. He had cut the throat of the sheep. Gardaí were alerted, came from Cork and the accused had fled, but his car was there. The ewe was identified by the tag, the sergeant said.
Two days later, entrails of another animal was found in the locality by neighbours.
"The accused man’s car had been searched and meat was found," added sgt Shevlin, "but that animal could not be identified as the tag had been removed."
The next day, a gentleman had met the accused at a filling station in Tralee and the accused had offered to sell him a lamb.
What the accused was doing was going to remote areas taking sheep and killing them to butcher them and then sell them on to members of the public, sgt Shelvin told Mr Rice.
A victim impact statement read by sgt Shelvin from farmer Con O’Riordan, who was in court told how he came “across this man carrying a knife and he had an animal beside him and its throat was cut. I was and am still shocked by this, I had never seen anything like it before and never wish to see it again.”
Sheer barbarity
“It was the sheer barbarity of it and his attitude when I met him. He didn’t care at all, it was like he thought there was something wrong with me for caring. He showed no remorse.
“The two ewes would have hardly come to €500 and to add insult to injury I had to pay another man €200 to remove the other sheep away to prevent them being butchered," Mr O'Riordan said.
Mr O’Riordan said that such a thing could happen had never struck him previously, but “it was always in my head now this could happen again".
Ms O’Connell, defence barrister, said her client “is very apologetic”; he had been homeless at the time.
“He never came to attention of gardaí for anything like this before; he seems to have just gone off the rails entirely. He was homeless at the time and trying to sell the sheep.”
Judge Ronan Munro said that he understood why Mr O’Riordan was shocked. He said the accused is entitled to credit for his plea of guilty. He sentenced him to a total of 16 months - 10 for the theft of the sheep, six for the cruelty and the fuel theft taken into consideration.
The final six months has been suspended for three years. The sentence of 10 months was backdated to 25 January. He is to stay away from Mr O’Riordan’s land and stay out of Kenmare and Kilgarvan.
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A 29-year-old man who stole a sheep and also cut the throat of a pregnant sheep near Killarney has been handed a 16-month prison sentence, with six months suspended.
A victim impact statement by farmer Con O’Riordan at the circuit criminal court in Tralee spoke of his horror and shock at what he came upon. The barbaric act has not left him, the farmer - who had to pay the costs of the disposal - also said.
Hungarian native Richard Daroczi, previously of Ely O’Carroll Place, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, pleaded guilty to stealing “a ewe sheep in lamb” worth €500, the property of Con O’Riordan, on 5 January at Cummeenabrick, Clonkeen, Kerry.
He also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.
He was assisted by a Hungarian translator and was represented by barrister Kate O’Connell, instructed by solicitor Eimear Griffin.
Evidence
In evidence to prosecutor Tom Rice, Garda sergeant Nigel Shevlin said that Con O’Riordan is a sheep farmer living in Kilgarvan who has land at Cummeenabrick, Clonkeen.
"It’s sheep country and there are no residential properties there," sgt Shevlin said.
The flock was in-lamb.
At 12.45pm on 5 January last, Richard Daroczi pulled up at O’Brien’s filling station and got fuel and drove off without paying, the Garda outlined.
That afternoon, Mr O’Riordan was on his land and he saw the accused with one of the sheep which was an in-lamb ewe.
Daroczi said the sheep was his. He had cut the throat of the sheep. Gardaí were alerted, came from Cork and the accused had fled, but his car was there. The ewe was identified by the tag, the sergeant said.
Two days later, entrails of another animal was found in the locality by neighbours.
"The accused man’s car had been searched and meat was found," added sgt Shevlin, "but that animal could not be identified as the tag had been removed."
The next day, a gentleman had met the accused at a filling station in Tralee and the accused had offered to sell him a lamb.
What the accused was doing was going to remote areas taking sheep and killing them to butcher them and then sell them on to members of the public, sgt Shelvin told Mr Rice.
A victim impact statement read by sgt Shelvin from farmer Con O’Riordan, who was in court told how he came “across this man carrying a knife and he had an animal beside him and its throat was cut. I was and am still shocked by this, I had never seen anything like it before and never wish to see it again.”
Sheer barbarity
“It was the sheer barbarity of it and his attitude when I met him. He didn’t care at all, it was like he thought there was something wrong with me for caring. He showed no remorse.
“The two ewes would have hardly come to €500 and to add insult to injury I had to pay another man €200 to remove the other sheep away to prevent them being butchered," Mr O'Riordan said.
Mr O’Riordan said that such a thing could happen had never struck him previously, but “it was always in my head now this could happen again".
Ms O’Connell, defence barrister, said her client “is very apologetic”; he had been homeless at the time.
“He never came to attention of gardaí for anything like this before; he seems to have just gone off the rails entirely. He was homeless at the time and trying to sell the sheep.”
Judge Ronan Munro said that he understood why Mr O’Riordan was shocked. He said the accused is entitled to credit for his plea of guilty. He sentenced him to a total of 16 months - 10 for the theft of the sheep, six for the cruelty and the fuel theft taken into consideration.
The final six months has been suspended for three years. The sentence of 10 months was backdated to 25 January. He is to stay away from Mr O’Riordan’s land and stay out of Kenmare and Kilgarvan.
Read more
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