Man (21) jailed for breaking into family’s home with hatchet

A 21-year-old, who smashed his way into a house with a hatchet and forced the occupants to hide in their bedroom, has been jailed for five years.

Michael Martin from Mount Brosna, Mayfield, Cork, pleaded guilty to an aggravated burglary at a house at Meadow Park, Ballyvolane in Cork on October 24th.

Det Sgt Kieran O'Sullivan of Watercourse Road Garda station told Cork Circuit Criminal Court how Martin broke into the house at around 1.45am, smashing a patio door with a hatchet.

The occupants of the house, a 58-year-old woman and her 31-year-old son, were woken by the sound of smashing glass and they took refuge in the mother’s bedroom upstairs as they were fearful of going downstairs when they heard the intruder walking around.

They phoned 999 to alert gardaí that there was an intruder in the house but they then had to push against the door to stop Martin getting in when he tried to force his way into their room before going back downstairs, said Det Sgt O’Sullivan.

“Gardaí arrived and found the accused Michael Martin downstairs in possession of a hatchet. It had not been in the house before so it must have been brought to the location by Mr Martin. He dropped the hatchet when he went into the sittingroom.

“He was searched later at the Garda station and he had small bag of cocaine,” said Det Sgt O’Sullivan, adding that Martin was arrested and taken to Mayfield Garda station where he made an escape attempt during a smoking break before he was caught again.

Martin made certain admissions during interview including that he smashed the patio door and entered the house, said Det Sgt O’Sullivan, adding that Martin did not encounter the mother and son in the house as they managed to keep the bedroom door closed.

Martin had 41 previous convictions including ones for robbery, burglary and possession of knives. He had been given a five-year sentence in November 2018 for robbery but had the final two years suspended and was still within the time of that suspension when he committed this offence.

‘Very remorseful’

Defence barrister, Niamh Ó Donnabháin said the defendant was under the impression the house was unoccupied at the time and he had money on him and did not need to break into the house but he was heavily under the influence of drugs at the time.

Ms Ó Donnabháin said Martin had a tragic background that included a number of suicides in his family. She pleaded for leniency, pointing out he had spared his victims the distress of a trial. “He is very remorseful for his actions. He knows his actions were very seriously wrong,” she said.

Judge Sean Ó Donnabháin said that Martin had been treated with appropriate leniency on the last occasion by having part of his sentence suspended to allow him a chance to rehabilitate but he had failed to take that chance and the suspension would have to be lifted on those two years.

He had gone on to commit a very serious offence by breaking into the house in Ballyvolane and what was an aggravating factor was the fact that he seemed to have no regard for the occupants as he remained in the house even after discovering it was occupied.

“He stayed in the house when he knew the occupants were in the house. He stayed mooching around the house. He tried the door but they held it. It does not show any real regard for the occupants or others and he was armed with a hatchet.

“Now, he did not offer any violence and he did not confront the people other than push the door. He did not have a confrontation with them or with the guards,” said the judge.

“The best I can do for him on this charge is three years which I will make consecutive to the two-year term where I have lifted the suspension,” the judge said. He added that he did not believe Martin was a suitable candidate for suspending any of the new sentence given his history.