A registered sex offender has been jailed after he went on a crack cocaine fuelled crime spree on Dublin’s Baggot Street.
Darren Hayes (50) of Stephen’s Green South, Dublin 2, also pleaded guilty to burglary of a commercial premises on Haddington Road, Dublin from which he and an accomplice – who is believed to have fled the jurisdiction – stole laptops and and iPhones with a combined value of €21,999 on the 6th of June 2023.
Garda Robbie Nolan of Kevin Street Garda Station gave evidence of the Baggot Street crime spree, while prosecuting counsel, John P. Gallagher outlined that a number of the offences were targeted at “an old style office premises” at 20 Baggot Street Upper.
The accused was on bail in respect of another burglary, for which he is currently serving a sentence of three years and nine months, at the time of the commission of these offences.
On Baggot Street Lower, two doctors offices and one office belonging to the operator of a fitness centre were broken into with doors being kicked down, items “rummaged” through, and furniture damaged in one of the offices, causing hundreds of euros worth of damage.
Two laptops, each worth €800, were stolen from the building but later recovered “destroyed” outside the nearby Saba restaurant.
€500 worth of damage was done to the external door of the building, the court heard.
Hayes also broke into the Baggot Street Off Licence by kicking in the door and getting past a steel gate, however no items were stolen.
He also kicked in the door of Dublin Mail Drop, also on Baggot Street Upper, and damaged three internal doors, but did not steal anything.
“Mindless destruction of hair dresser’s equipment”
The accused, on two occasions, broke into McCauley Scanlon hair stealing €120 from a float on the first occasion.
On his second visit he “completely ransacked the salon”, stole €150 from the float and caused damage to equipment such as hair straighteners.
All of the Baggot Street Lower offences took place on the 15th of October 2023.
When arrested Hayes said that he was on crack cocaine at the time and “professed not to recall precisely what happened on the night”, his defending counsel said.
He has 140 previous convictions including 42 for burglary. 33 of his convictions are from the Circuit Court.
The balance of his convictions include 22 for criminal damage, 2 for begging, 3 for entering a building with intent to commit an offence, 1 for providing false information, 4 for the sale and supply of drugs, 3 for possession of knives and other articles, 7 for burglary with intent, 2 for handling stolen property, and 2 for failure to report a change of address pursuant to the sex offenders act.
Hayes’ defending counsel argued that his client has a “chronic drug addiction aggravated by the death of his father” and that a friend of his “froze to death in a tent.”
Due to his presence on the sex offender’s list, Hayes is unable to reside in hostel accommodation and is eager to address his issues, the court heard.
Counsel argued that Hayes’ “almost insane behaviour” was fuelled by crack cocaine, which he said was “relatively new to Ireland”.
The accused has three sons in England who are eager to get their father a place in residential care in order to facilitate his rehabilitation, the court heard.
Passing sentence on the accused, Judge Orla Crowe remarked that the salon was broken into “at a considerable inconvenience and loss” to the owners in circumstances where the accused had engaged in “mindless destruction of a hairdressers equipment,” and that the theft of the laptops was “inherently a very serious matter”.
She said that the accused had a “panoply” of convictions, including “highly relevant” ones, but notwithstanding this was “doing well in custody”.
The court noted that the accused is a “drug addict” who has committed an “enormous” amount of offences.
Judge Crowe nominated a headline sentence of five years before reducing this to three years and four months with the final 12 months suspended for two years on condition of good behaviour.