Man jailed for trespassing on neighbour’s property

A man who broke into his neighbour’s home and trespassed on his property on multiple occasions has been jailed for 18 months.

Joseph Greene (38), with an address at Sarsfield Square, Athlone, appeared in custody before a sitting of Athlone District Court, where a number of new charges were brought before Judge Bernadette Owens.

Those were in addition to various theft charges that had previously appeared before the court, and to which he entered guilty pleas.

The four new charges included criminal damage and trespass on his neighbour’s property in October of last year.

The court heard how, on October 10, 2024, one of Mr Greene’s neighbours was contacted by another neighbour who said Mr Greene had entered onto the driveway of his home and forced the door in. Nobody was in the house at the time.

The front door of the property was forced open, the glass was shattered and the door wouldn’t lock properly afterwards, the court heard. The injured party returned home and reported the incident to Gardaí.

A couple of days later, on October 12, the court heard that Mr Greene had entered the back garden of the same neighbour’s property, and walked into the kitchen. He left when challenged by the homeowner and was arrested shortly afterwards.

He was also charged with a public order incident on October 15, when he engaged in threatening, insulting or abusive behaviour by threatening to launch himself at his neighbour.

Again, on October 17, Mr Greene entered the front garden of the same neighbour’s property, putting the injured party in fear as there had been the earlier incidents for which the accused had been arrested.The remainder of the 17 charges before the court related to theft incidents, with goods to a total value of approximately €1,200 stolen and not recovered.

Mr Greene, who has 166 previous convictions, was on bail at the time of the offences before the court last week. The most significant of those convictions was a robbery charge before Mullingar Circuit Court in November 2022, for which he received an eight year prison sentence, which was suspended for four years.

Solicitor Ciara Macklin, defending, said her client has a very supportive family, and that he has some very serious mental health issues.

“He was under some delusions about his neighbour and developed an obsession. Whatever sentence he receives today, he will face another sentence at the Circuit Court,” she said, noting that the suspended sentence would be triggered as a result of the theft offences.

“He’s in the throes of addiction and it will be difficult getting him to avail of services. He has become apathetic to his situation and has a limited capacity to engage. He has become immune to his chaotic and addictive lifestyle,” she said.

Mr Greene has spent six months in custody, on and off, between October last year and now, and was eager to conclude matters before the court last week. A sum of €400 was paid by his mother as compensation for the door he damaged.

Judge Owens noted Mr Greene had pleaded to all outstanding charges and that credit was due for the plea.

“He has a very significant mental health history, which has been documented. But on the other side, he has a significant number of relevant previous convictions, and a number of offences were committed while on bail, having been released on bail from this court,” she said.

For the criminal damage to his neighbour’s door, she sentenced Mr Greene to eight months in prison, backdated to April 1, 2025 to give credit for the six months he spent in custody.

For one of the theft charges before the court - razor blades to the value of €140 - she sentenced him to five months to be served consecutive to the first sentence.

And for another theft charge - again, razor blades to the value of €152 - she imposed a further consecutive sentence of five months, bringing his total to 18 months.

He will also be returned to the Circuit Court regarding the triggering of the suspended sentence imposed there. He was remanded in custody to Mullingar Circuit Court, sitting on October 7. All other charges were taken into consideration.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme