Pair sent for trial over spate of Letterkenny burglaries

A man and a woman will stand trial over a series of burglaries in Letterkenny.

Books of evidence have been served on Matthew Lafferty and Amanda Coleman, who will go before Letterkenny Circuit Court in May.

The pair have been charged in relation to the burglaries in Letterkenny last September and also with causing €700 of criminal damage to a business premises.

Lafferty, who is 33, of no fixed abode and currently in custody in Castlerea Prison and Coleman, a 39-year-old now an address at Kilmacrennan Road, Milford, have each been sent forward to the Circuit Court.

They are each charged that they did enter premises as a trespasser and did commit an arrestable offence, to wit criminal damage and theft, therein. The charge is contrary to Section 12(1)(b) and (3) of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

The charges relate to offences on September 20, 2024 at Zen Hair & Beauty, Port Road; Mr Chippie Takeaway, Ramelton Road; Ace Barbers, Oliver Plunkett Road; Uviolki, Pearse Road; Future Style Barber Shop, Unit 2 Pearse Road; and Hue Hair Salon, Pearse Road.

The pair are also charged that, at Bronze Age, Port Road, they did without lawful excuse damage property, to wit, the glass of the front door, to the value of €700 belonging to Bernard Gibbons intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged. The charge is contrary to section 2(1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991 and also related to an incident on September 20, 2024.

Coleman is also facing charges in relation to: the theft of €15 of groceries from Lidl, Pearse Road, Letterkenny on February 24, 2024; the theft of groceries worth €10 from Lidl, Pearse Road, Letterkenny, on February 28, 2024; the theft of four cameras worth a collective €208 from Home Savers, Pearse Road, Letterkenny; and the theft of €21 worth of clothing from St Vincent De Paul, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny.

At Letterkenny District Court this week, Lafferty appeared by video link from prison while Coleman was present in court.

Mr Patsy Gallagher, solicitor for Lafferty, said there was no bail application on behalf of his client.

In the case of each, legal aid was granted to Mr Gallagher and one legal counsel assigned.

Judge Éiteáin Cunningham administered the alibi warning and made a section 56 order relating to video recordings of interviews.

Among the conditions of Coleman’s bail are that she: reside at her home address; maintain a curfew from 11pm-8am; be available to be contacted by Gardai on telephone 24-7; remain sober and abstain from all unprescribed drugs; sign on at a Garda Station twice a week; commit no further offence and be of good behaviour; not contact any witnesses in the matters; and not associate with two named individuals.