Man jailed for trespass offences

A man charged with attempting to break into an apartment to set it on fire has been jailed for four months.

Lee Jones (25), of no fixed abode in Athlone, appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens at a sitting of Athlone District Court on Wednesday, May 20, where he pleaded guilty to two trespass charges.

Those charges relate to two burglaries on February 27, 2026, at the Sheraton Hotel, Gleeson Street, where it is alleged he entered as a trespasser and committed theft, and at an apartment on O’Connell Street, where he is charged with entering as a trespasser with intent to commit a crime.

Mr Jones had indicated guilty pleas to both charges in March, when he pleaded guilty to - and was sentenced for - seven other charges, including six thefts and one handling stolen property charge.

Regarding the more serious of the two trespass charges, Sergeant Paul McNally outlined to the court that, on February 27, 2026, at 4.26am, at an apartment on O’Connell Street, Athlone, Gardaí received reports of a male trying to break in with a hammer to set the property on fire.

Mr Jones is currently serving a four-month prison sentence, backdated to February 28, with a release date of May 28. The guilty pleas for the theft charges in March also triggered a five-month sentence he received in July of last year, which was suspended for 18 months.

Solicitor Padraig Quinn, on behalf of Mr Jones, told the court that his client “does well in custody”, and asked that Judge Owens be as lenient as she could.

“He did go into custody in February and he would have pleaded guilty to these matters in March,” he said.

Judge Owens noted that the guilty plea was indicated in March, but the state was still awaiting directions for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

She noted the O’Connell Street trespass was the more serious matter and sentenced Mr Jones to four months in prison, backdated to February 28, when he first went into custody. The other trespass was taken into consideration.

Regarding the triggering of the suspended sentence, she said she had “tried to give him every opportunity”, and invoked the five month suspended sentence imposed on him on July 23 of last year.

She backdated the imposition of that sentence to March 25, which is the date the previous sentence was imposed.

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