Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court has heard how former carer, Zimbabwaen Precious Moyo, targeted six elderly people burglarising their homes and robbing them of €34,000.
38-year-old Moyo was assisted by her accomplice, 19-year-old addict Yamen Alhamada in targeting the people ranging in age from 73 to 89.
Yaman, who is from Syria, came to Ireland to escape war and has an address at Warren Grove, Boyle, Co. Roscommon while Moyo has an address at the Athlone Accommodation Centre at Lissywollen, Athlone, Co. Westmeath,
Journalist Tom Tuite reported that Moyo, who has two children and is pregnant with a third, gained “intimate” knowledge of her elderly victim’s homes before committing the burglaries which on more than one occasion turned violent.
A complex operation involving Gardaí painstakingly reviewing CCTV footage led to the identification of Moyo, who claims to have been a care worker before coming to Ireland, and Alhamda who said that he was enticed to aid Moyo in the crimes as he believed he would be projected by her ‘juju black magic’.
Alhamda had sat his leaving certificate and been awarded a place in college but began abusing drugs and alcohol before deciding to help Moyo who had been fired due to complaints.
Efforts to identify the pair who plead guilty to the offences also involved the use of DNA analysis and fingerprints in the Garda operation which sitting Judge Keenan Johnson described as “massive”.
Four of the crimes took place at a housing estate in Athlone and another at a house about five kilometres outside the town between 14 June and 8 September last year.
The court heard that the largest sum of money stolen by the pair was a funeral fund after Moyo broke into the home of a 73-year-old woman wearing a high-vis jacket and covid face mask after lurking around the property for about two hours.
She discovered €24,000 in a handbag after going through the house and jogged to a taxi after taking it.
The elderly woman’s sister has since moved in with the victim who is now “so afraid”, with only €2,250 of the stolen money returned.
“This money was to be used for our funerals. My sister’s heart and my own heart are now broken; now we are so worried as to how we will pay for our funerals.” she said.
In another incident in which the pair targeted an 89-year-old woman, Alhamda went to her door pretending to be seeking a missing person. Believing him to be a Garda, the elderly lady let him into the house to look around upon which he stole her handbag which contained €200 in cash as well as several cards.
He then left the house and was picked up by a waiting Moyo.
The lady in question did not appear in court however a victim impact statement said that having already had money stolen from her by a carer, this latest incident had left her feeling more vulnerable and insecure.
In another incident which took place two days later Moyo and Alhamda went to the home of another elderly lady but were disturbed by a lodger and left empty handed.
At the time Moyo was wearing a wig, surgical gloves and mask while Alhamda was wearing a hard hat and a covid face mask tricked the 76-year-old widow into letting him in to look for a leak.
The woman who took in a lodger because she felt lonely after her husband’s death has since dismissed her carers and feels she is in constant fear that someone is at the door.
In the next incident at around 5 am on the 2nd of September, the pair targeted an 80-year-old man who lives alone and has mobility issues.
The man was woken from his sleep by the sound of glass smashing after Moyo used a wheel jack to smash into the property.
They proceeded to enter the man’s bedroom and began shouting at him and demanding money.
Giving evidence, Detective Garda Cogavin said: “He was held by his arms by Yamen Alhamada, who pulled off his panic alarm from around his wrist. He was then pulled onto the ground and held down there.
“He tried to get up, but Alhamada hit him with an unknown object, and he started bleeding heavily from his nose.”
Detective Cogavin said Alhamada, “pierced his arms a number of times with what he believed to have been a needle concealed in his glove”.
The pair stayed in the old man’s home for about half an hour and “and went through” his deceased wife’s belongings.
The pair made off with 200 in cash from a wallet as well as some jewellery that had belonged to the man’s late wife before telling him. “We’ll be back”.
The man who suffers from COPD was able to alert relatives although with considerable difficulty, and could be seen distraught on his doorbell CCTV gasping as he said, “I’ve been broken into”.
Garda evidence confirmed that the man’s house was ransacked, and there were “pools of blood on the bedroom floor”.
The pair inflicted injuries to the man’s arms such as large bruises, two cuts on his arms, and a nasal bridge wound.
The man said he now “constantly afraid” in the house he had built himself 50 years ago to raise his family in.
Referring to his attackers, he begged Judge Keenan to “lock them up for a long time because they are evil”.
In the last burglary the pair targeted a couple in their 80s, stealing €10,000 from them.
On this occasion, Alhamada was armed with a five-inch flick knife with Moyo showing “intimate knowledge” of the layout of the couple’s home.
Disguised in a wig, mask and a dress, Alhamda grabbed the elderly woman by the throat and dragged her to the floor, causing a cut to the side of her ear.
He demanded to know, “Where’s the money?”
Moyo attacked the elderly man, who has dementia, by putting her hand over his mouth causing his breathing to be restricted and told Alhamda to remove his wife’s panic alarm from her wrist. .
The elderly woman said that since the incident she and her husband had moved into separate nursing homes saying that, “and I miss him dearly”.
After being arrested Alameda, who had been given a place at college in Athlone, confessed that he had been given €2,500 from the robberies and that he had used this money to purchase “weed” and a pellet gun.
The court heard that neither party has previous criminal records with Judge Keenan adjourning sentencing until probation reports are prepared.
The judge said the actions had heartbreaking consequences and showed gross contempt calling Moyo and Almanda an absolute disgrace.