FOUR MEN were charged over the weekend in connection with a series of burglaries across Munster and south Leinster.
The charges follow an investigation by gardaí into the activities of an organised crime gang over an 18-month period.
The four men, all Albanian nationals, appeared or were due to appear at different court sittings in Co Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Kerry on charges relating to four burglaries including the theft of over €100,000 from a post office in Co Tipperary.
On Saturday morning, a 31-year-old Albanian national was brought before a special sitting of Clonmel District Court where he was charged with a theft at Ardfinnan Post Office in Co Tipperary between August 27th and August 28th, 2009, having entered the premises as trespasser.
Insp Paul O’Driscoll told the court that gardaí were consenting to bail but with stringent conditions attached including that the man provide his own bail of €6,000 and lodge €2,000 of this in court as well as an independent surety of €10,000 to be verified by gardaí.
Gardaí were also seeking that the man surrender his Irish passport to gardaí and undertake not to apply for any new travel documents.
Det Garda Tim O’Keeffe said gardaí had established that the man had been living under an assumed name in Ireland and had obtained an Irish passport in that name but they were satisfied it was solely to protect himself and his family as a result of threats.
The man had provided gardaí with his original name but they were still in the process of confirming his true identity through inquiries abroad, he added.
The man’s solicitor Gerard O’Brien said he had a real concern for the safety of his client and his family if he was identified because of the involvement of organised crime in the case and he was applying for an order prohibiting publication of the man’s name and address.
Insp O’Driscoll confirmed that gardaí shared Mr O’Brien’s concern about identifying his client and Judge Terence Finn said that while he fully recognised the constitutional right of the public to see how justice was administered, some cases involved competing rights and a balance had to be struck.
Noting gardaí shared Mr O’Brien’s concern about identifying his client, Judge Finn said he believed that the public’s right to know could still be served by publication of the details of the proceedings without identification of the accused or his address and he made an order to that effect.
Yesterday, a 43-year-old Albanian was brought before a special sitting of Dungarvan District Court where he was charged with theft at O’Flynn’s Hardware Store in Cappoquin, Co Waterford, between April 3rd and 5th, 2010, and he was remanded on bail.
Last night, an Albanian in his late 30s was due to appear before Wexford District Court in connection with another burglary while another Albanian in his late 20s was due to appear at a special sitting of Tralee District Court in relation to another burglary.