Judge has ‘no hope’ for criminal who broke into Omagh church hall

A CAREER criminal with almost 100 previous convictions has been branded a ‘menace to the community’ by a Crown Court judge, who said he had ‘no hope’ the offender would ever change his ways.

Ciaran Hogan (39), formerly of Fairmount Avenue, Omagh, was sentenced at Dungannon Crown Court to nine months in prison for breaking into St Joseph’s Hall in the town earlier this year.

But having already served the equivalent of a 12-month term on remand, he was due to be released from custody.

On February 26 police in Omagh were alerted at around 9.40pm after the internal alarm of St Joseph’s Hall was triggered. CCTV footage reviewed by the manager showed a man smashing a window with a large stone before entering the building.

Once inside, the intruder reportedly used a fire extinguisher to force open an office door. Police arrived shortly afterwards and found Hogan attempting to hide.

Hogan was arrested and admitted the offences after being shown CCTV footage, a move which His Honour Judge Richard Greene KC described as ‘being caught red-handed’.

The court noted that Hogan had 97 previous convictions, 24 of which were for previous burglaries and thefts.

Representing Hogan, defence counsel Ciaran Roddy told the court that the 39-year-old had shown remorse for his actions and his time in custody, which amounted to a 12-month sentence, had helped address his addiction issues.

But Judge Greene observed that he ‘didn’t believe for a second’ that Hogan was remorseful, describing him as a menace to the community.

Citing a previous pre-sentence report, it was highlighted to the court that the defendant was assessed as a ‘high-risk offender’ and that the risk of reoffending was ‘high’.

Judge Greene said that, while the sentence he intended to impose would see Hogan released from custody due to time already served, it was ‘almost inevitable’ that the defendant would reoffend, noting his ‘impulsivity’ and ‘need for excitement’.

Hogan was given a nine-month sentence and ordered to pay compensation of £200 for the damaged caused to the hall.

The defendant then addressed the court, stating his intent to stay crime-free as he ‘has (his) life ahead of him’.

Hogan added that his partner had just been released from hospital and he needed to ‘prove himself’ to everyone that he had ‘no intention’ of reoffending.