Man who stole almost €20k of power tools from work vans is jailed

A man who stole almost €20,000 worth of power tools from work vans across counties Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim and Westmeath, during a “burglary spree” in 2023, has been jailed for nine years.

Jason Maughan (32), with an address in Tirboy, Tuam, Co Galway, appeared before a sitting of Mullingar Circuit Court, where he was sentenced for eight counts of theft of power tools, with a combined total value of €18,465.

The indictment also included nine counts of criminal damage, with a combined total of €3,462 damage done to work vans that were parked, one count of theft of property to the value of €366 from a van, and one count of driving off without paying for fuel.

He was also charged with the purchase of a vehicle at Robertstown, Naas, Co Kildare on August 29, 2023, to enhance the activities of the Maughan Organised Crime Gang, when he bought a €1,100 blue Saab, which was involved in a range of criminal activities.

Mr Maughan was one of five co-accused, and was the first to enter a guilty plea to the charges on a full facts basis at Roscommon Circuit Court on October 23 of this year.

Detective Garda Shane Killeen, of Castlerea Garda Station, confirmed to the court that this was a “detailed, complex, coordinated operation” into the Maughan criminal gang.

He outlined to the court that the gang identified cars on Done Deal, noted down the registrations, then purchased similar vehicles, and used cloned plates when committing offences.

This was “structured and organised”, he said. Each member had a designated task and there was evidence of 46 specific criminal acts.

The charges against Mr Maughan started with the theft of €900 worth of tools from a van at Larkin Engineering in Tuam on August 28, 2023. A day later, he was involved in the purchase of the blue Saab, which was involved in a number of thefts.

Just weeks later, he began a spree of thefts whereby he broke into work vans and stole significant quantities of power tools

Those offences included the theft of €6,110 worth of power tools from three vans parked at locations in Co Galway and Roscommon, as well as €400 worth of damage to one of the vehicles, all on September 11, 2023. Those offences were committed using a blue Saab with cloned plates.

On September 18, 2023, he was charged with driving off in a grey Mazda 6 without paying for fuel at Texaco, Athleague, stealing €2,735 worth of power tools from a work van in Tuam, and causing criminal damage to the value of €400 and €600 to two vans in Roscommon. Those offences were all committed using the grey Mazda 6, also with cloned plates.

Further charges relate to October 4, 2023, just a few days after the gang had purchased a black Saab and fitted it with cloned plates.

On that date, Mr Maughan stole tools to the combined value of €5,840 from two work vans in counties Roscommon and Leitrim, causing €865 worth of damage to the former by smashing a window.

The final “batch” of charges relates to October 6, 2023, in the same black Saab, when Mr Maughan went on a “spree” across Athlone.

The charges include breaking into a van at Daneswell Business Park and taking property to the value of €366, causing €150 worth of damage. A further €2,880 worth of power tools were stolen from work vans parked at Daneswell Business Park and Arcadia Retail Park, with further criminal damage charges for €150 and €200 worth of damage to the vans respectively.

Two more vans were broken into, with €200 worth of damage done to one at the Bounty, Clonbrusk, and €500 worth of damage done to another at Fernhill Garda Station.

Mr Maughan has 51 previous convictions, including 28 for theft, three for possession of stolen property, five for possession of an article, eight for criminal damage, one for burglary, one for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and five for road traffic offences.

He received a two-year, nine-month sentence on December 21, 2021, with the final nine months suspended for 12 months. He was released on 24/3/2023 and part of that suspended sentence was still hanging over him at the time of the commission of these offences.

Judge Connolly noted the effects of the thefts on the various workers concerned who were unable to carry out their trade or profession following the thefts.

A victim impact statement from one of the workers stated that “to steal someone’s tools is the lowest type of behaviour”, with Judge Connolly agreeing “it’s very low indeed”.

He noted “the multiplicity of the offending and the sheer volume of offences”, which were the work of a criminal gang, or organised crime gang, in which Mr Maughan is number two in the hierarchy.

In mitigation, he noted the fact Mr Maughan was the first of five co-accused to plead, and stressed the importance of that plea, as a trial would have taken “a substantial length of time”.

Mr Maughan has “no registered work history”, he noted, but “seems to be a man of industry”. He also noted the accused’s difficulties with gambling and drug addition, as well as an apology to the builders and tradespeople.

For the theft of power tools from Larkin Engineering in August 2023, he imposed a headline sentence of two years and two months, which he reduced to 18 months.

A further three-year headline sentence was imposed for the purchase of a vehicle to enhance criminal activity, and was reduced to two years and three months, to be served consecutively.

Judge Connolly then took the remaining charges in “batches”, imposing a combined sentence of two years and three months for the offences committed on September 11, 2023, a combined two years for charges relating to September 18, 2023, two years more for offences from October 4, 2023 and a further two years for offences on October 6, 2023.

All sentences are to be served consecutively and initially totalled 12 years in prison, which Judge Connolly found disproportionate.

Accordingly, he reduced the three two-year sentences to one year each, reaching an adjusted figure of nine years imprisonment. As Mr Maughan was the first to plead guilty of a number of co-accused, he opted to suspend the final two years of the sentence for four years post release.

Mr Maughan is to enter a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years post release, as well as a probation supervision bond.

The sentence was backdated to February 8, 2024, when he was first remanded in custody.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme