Man disqualified from driving for 5 years
A Dublin man has been given an 8 month suspended sentence and disqualified from driving for five years at Bray district court.
John Joe Joyce with an address at Barracks Place, Coolock was found guilty of breaking into cars at Cronewood car park in Enniskerry.
Bray Gardai observed Joyce acting suspicious during a routine patrol of the car park as part of the "Operation Uplands" which was introduced in 2011 to prevent thefts at beauty spots and popular hill walking car parks in County Wicklow.
Judge Kennedy ordered Joyce an 8 month suspended sentence.
Inspector Declan McCarthy made an application for an ancillary disqualification order which was granted by Judge Kennedy.
Ancillary disqualification order
Where a person is convicted of an offence under this Act or otherwise in relation to a mechanically propelled vehicle or the driving of any such vehicle (other than an offence in relation to which section 26 of this Act applies) or of a crime or offence in the commission of which a mechanically propelled vehicle was used, the court may, without prejudice to the infliction of any other punishment authorised by law, make an order (in this Act referred to as an ancillary disqualification order) declaring the person convicted to be disqualified for holding a driving licence.
Garda Eddie Brennan, Sgt John Heraughty and detective Garda David Patton were praised for their work at a time when more people are taking holidays at home in Ireland and visiting beauty spots in County Wicklow.
Chairman for Wicklow tourism Councillor Tom Fortune praised the progress that has been made through Operation Uplands, a joint initiative between the three policing districts in Wicklow to tackle this problem.
As detection is difficult, the Gardaí are focusing on prevention.
Patrols(marked and unmarked cars) and checkpoints have been put in place over the last year. The number of break-ins to vehicles parked in the Wicklow uplands over the first 8 months of 2011 was 227, reduced from 238 for the same period in 2010.
