A convicted rapist and serial burglar who committed two break-ins since his release has been jailed for 2½ years.
Gerard Kane (43) of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in November 2012 for raping a woman after breaking into her home. During the ordeal he threatened to bury the woman in her back garden and hang himself if she contacted the gardaí.
Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, at the Central Criminal Court, suspended the final three years of that sentence and Kane was released from prison in August 2018. At the time of the rape Kane was on bail for breaking into the constituency office of then Fianna Fáil minister Barry Andrews.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Kane pleaded guilty to burglary at Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute, burglary at Silchester Crescent, Glenageary and handling stolen property on January 20th, 2019.
Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said there was no doubt Kane had certain psychological problems but there is also no doubt he knows the difference between right and wrong.
He sentenced Kane to 3½ years imprisonment, but suspended the final 12 months of the sentence on strict conditions including that he follow all directions of the Probation Service for 12 months after release.
Det Garda Richard Redden told John Berry, prosecuting, that the neighbour of the victim of the burglary at Silchester Crescent contacted gardaí after he heard a house alarm going off and saw Kane outside the house.
Kane told the man it was a false alarm and he was going to go in and knock it off. When gardaí arrived the alarm was still going off and Kane was sitting on a roof with several bags beside him which held items stolen from the house.
Kane told gardaí they would have to get up and get him if they wanted to arrest him before he ran off. He was later arrested in a nearby garden.
Ransacked premises
Det Garda Redden said that earlier that day an 80-year-old woman had her handbag snatched and this woman’s bank card was found on Kane when arrested. He said there was no evidence to suggest Kane was responsible for stealing the bag.
Kane was arrested for the burglary at the education institute in Dún Laoghaire after gardaí viewed CCTV footage. The premises had been ransacked and €11,000 of damage was done to the building. Kane’s DNA was also found there.
Det Garda Redden said Kane was initially found unfit to be interviewed but nothing came out of the subsequent questioning from gardaí.
Det Garda Redden agreed with Patrick Reynolds, defending, that he had known Kane for a long time and knew he had a long history of drug addiction.
Mr Reynolds said his client was homeless on his release from prison because he could not secure a hostel due to his rape conviction. He then began committing crime again. He has a former address at a hostel in Montpelier Gardens, Dublin 7.
The judge had previously adjourned the case when he first heard evidence last month. He had ordered an updated psychiatric report after he was informed that Kane had been receiving treatment while on remand in custody following incidences of serious self-harm.