Man sentenced for home break-in of intellectually disabled man
The sentencing case was heard at Waterford Courthouse
Reece Kelly (27) of 52 Beech Drive, Greenfields, Waterford, received a five-year and three-month sentence, with the final 15 months suspended, for the home break-in of an intellectually disabled man.
On November 19 2021, a disturbance was reported at a centre in Waterford, that houses individuals with additional needs and accommodation struggles, where residents heard the voice of a man threatening his possession of a knife and willingness to use it.
Gardaí met the injured party, who was then in his 60s. He had sustained injuries and his shirt was covered in blood.
That day, the victim had been met by an unknown male who had broken into his residence, punched him and damaged his television. He was interviewed by a specialist Garda following the incident.
Waterford Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Eugene O'Kelly, heard the victim has fully recovered physically from the incident, but is still left traumatised. Due to his intellectual disabilities, the man was unable to give a fully-detailed breakdown of the incident, but believed he was hit once.
CCTV footage from the residence led to Garda Donal O’Keefe identifying Reece Kelly.
The court heard that Kelly occasionally stayed at the centre with his uncle, and would’ve known it was social/special housing.
At the time of the crime, Kelly had 10 previous convictions, relating to burglary, theft, assault, possession of a knife and threats to cause damage.
He was on bail for theft when he broke into the victim’s residence.
Kelly committed a slew of offences on the date of the incident. Defence counsel Gareth Hayden BL said Kelly expressed a severe level of shame.
Mr Hayden said Kelly had little recollection of the event due to the amount of drugs and alcohol he had ingested on the date in question.
Mr Hayden said Kelly had serious addiction issues dating back to his teenage years and has an estranged relationship with his mother. He has continually struggled to hold down long-term employment.
Kelly’s probation report had outlined concerns around potential psychosis; in one instance, Kelly “believed the TV was communicating with him” while in a custodial environment.
His probation report also highlighted convictions in the UK for brandishing a knife.
An aggravating factor for Judge Eugene O’Kelly in his sentencing was that Kelly had failed to properly engage with substance abuse strategies.
The court heard Kelly had often sought alternative methods, trying to deal with his substance issues “by finding God". The gravity of Kelly’s sentence was increased by the vulnerability of the victim, who was on blood thinners at the time.
