Jail for "ineffective burglar" who was identified by stolen trilby hat

A man with a 43-conviction record has been sentenced to three years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following guilty pleas to six counts of burglary. Dermot Carter, aged 46, of O'Rourke Park, Sallynoggin, Dublin, targeted three businesses in Dun Laoghaire on 16 April 2012 and two residential properties and a sports facility in Sandycove and Glenageary on 15 July 2014. During one incident, Carter stole a trilby hat from a home he entered while occupants were present, then wore it whilst attempting further break-ins nearby. The distinctive headwear proved instrumental in his identification through CCTV footage and photographic evidence. He was also linked to the scene via blood samples matching his DNA. The court heard Carter was on methadone maintenance at the time. Judge Martin Nolan described him as "an ineffective burglar, but a burglar nonetheless" and imposed consecutive sentences of 15 months for the 2012 offences and 21 months for those in 2014.