A “VERY articulate and clever criminal”, whose local knowledge was central to a raid on the home of a well known Westmeath businessman, was jailed yesterday for 10 years.
Brian McGinley (38), Blackberry Lane, Athlone, was part of an armed four-man gang who tied up the Kilmartin family at Ladyswell, Glasson, Athlone, on February 13th, 2005.
He was sentenced yesterday at Mullingar Circuit Court, sitting in Tullamore.
The court heard that during the two-hour raid, the gang forced Damien Kilmartin, who runs the N6 Service Station with his wife Rachel, to show them where a safe was.
When he said the keys had been lost, he was threatened with rape.
Judge Anthony Kennedy described the case as very serious, “this four-man gang bursting in by the back door, all masked having balaclavas and armed with a variety of weapons”.
Although serious violence was not used on the family, “there was for instance the disgusting threat to bugger Mr Kilmartin,” Judge Kennedy remarked.
The three children, Luke, Daniel, Matthew and their first cousin Rebekka Duffy, were tied up, along with their mother Rachel and grandfather Tony in a downstairs bathroom.
The children ranged in age between nine and 15 at the time of the raid.
After failing to fit the safe into the boot of Mr Kilmartin’s 6-series BMW, the raiders made their escape in a BMW 4x4, taking the safe containing €107,000 in jewellery and more than €11,000 in cash.
Blood found on the boot of the BMW 645 was later matched to McGinley.
Mr Kilmartin was emotional as he read a victim impact statement to the court.
No member of his family had slept properly for two years after the attack, he said. It had deeply affected his entire family who were now living in fear.
“I have turned a loving family home into a fortress,” Mr Kilmartin added.