Traveller jailed for part in cross-border 24-hour burglary spree

Newry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, heard that during one of the break-ins at the Ghan Hotel in Carlingford, a couple had the door of their bedroom kicked in and were threatened by a man brandishing a golf club.

John Joseph Myles Connors – a member of the travelling community whose current address is HMP Magilligan – was part of the gang and admitted his involvement on the grounds of joint enterprise.

Over a 24-hour period on December 20, 2013, Connors and two other men targeted the Ghan Hotel in Carlingford, as well as a house in Newry and two properties in Keady.

All but one of the premises were occupied, and £5,000-worth of jewellery was stolen from one of the homes.

Connors, 35, will spend half of his sentence in prison, with the remaining 15 months on supervised licence upon his release.

The court heard the Ghan Hotel was the first place targeted in the spree. At around 12.35am, a husband and wife were woken from their sleep by their bedroom door being kicked in. One of the intruders had a golf club, and the incident resulted in an ambulance being called for the woman.

The three intruders were caught on CCTV leaving the hotel in a white Audi which was hijacked prior to the break-in. It was accepted Connors was not the man brandishing the golf club.

Around midday the gang targeted a house on Newry’s Carrickrovaddy Road. The daughter of the owner came out of her bedroom where she was confronted by three men. When she screamed for her father, the trio fled in the same white Audi.

Several hours later, the gang broke into a house on the Upper Darkley Road in Keady, during which a male occupant came out of the shower and was approached by intruders. On this occasion, they left empty-handed.

A second home on the Darkley Road was also broken into on the same day. This house was ransacked, jewellery was taken and the burglars left in a white Audi.

Connors – who came before the court with 96 previous convicions – was arrested in England in September 2015 after being on the run from the PSNI since the spate of break-ins in December 2013.