A DAD of three who ransacked a house in Ballineen by smashing up wardrobes was eventually detected after a swab of blood on a broken window was used to identify him, a court heard last week.

Audi Murphy (44) of 4 Derrymore, Portarlington, County Laois pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to burglary at a house in Droumfeigh, Ballineen six years ago and could not give a reason to Judge Joanne Carroll as to why he committed the crime.

Sgt Eimear O’Connell told the court that at 4.30pm on November 25th 2019 the injured party discovered that a burglary had taken place at his home after discovering a window at the rear of his house had been smashed.

‘He discovered his home inside was ransacked and found a door in the living room ripped off, while the doors of wardrobe in an upstairs bedroom were also ripped off with all damage beyond repair,’ said Sgt O’Connell, who added that nothing was stolen from the house.

‘Scene of crime members attended the scene and performed a forensic examination of the house. They discovered blood on  the window frame which was broken.’

The blood sample was forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland to create a DNA profile. The court heard that the accused was arrested for burglary on October 5th 2023 after the DNA sample of blood matched his.

‘While being interviewed he made no comment to any of the questions.’

Mr Murphy has 35 previous convictions mainly for road traffic and public order offences.

Defence solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client sustained a  serious head injury in October 2019 and doesn’t recall what happened.

‘He knows he was in the area but doesn’t recall being in the house. He had been assaulted and he can’t give an explanation as to why it happened,’ said Mr Taaffe.

‘He accepts that the blood found on the window frame was his. He hasn’t been in trouble since 2019.’

Judge Joanne Carroll queried as to why the accused was in the  house in Ballineen but Mr Taaffe said he could give no explanation.

The judge noted that he was assaulted in October and that one month later he was breaking into a private house in Ballineen ransacking it.

‘I have no option but to send him to prison as he broke into a private house,’ said Judge Carroll, who sentenced him to five months in prison and refused to suspend any part of that sentence.

‘He broke into a private home and he has no memory of it and that is not good enough.’

Recognisances in the event of an appeal were fixed in his own bond of €300.