Stole priest’s collar in burglary at Portlaoise Curates House

A man who burgled a curates house in Portlaoise and stole a priest collar was identified by blood he left at the scene. 

Gavin Swayne, 21, of 63 Hillview Drive, Portlaoise admitted burgling the curates house at Tower Hill, Portlaoise on October 25, 2021. 

Sgt JJ Kirby said a rear door glass panel was broken by the burglar who left blood staines. He was detected thanks to the good work of the garda forensics team, explained Sgt Kirby.  “A priest's collar was taken from the house,” he said.

Sgt Kirby said the defendant has 50 previous convictions and is currently serving a sentence with a release date in 2025.

Solicitor Josphine Fitzpatrick said her client was offering a plea at an early stage. She said he had been using drugs and had little recollection of the offence. She said he has returned to education in prison and his focus now is to attend school. 

Judge Andrew Cody sentenced the man to four months in prison to be served on top of the sentence he is currently serving. He fixed recognisance in case of appeal.