Irish criminals on run from UK were part of ‘sophisticated' burglary gang

Sunday World

8 hours ago

Limerick burglary gang leader Darren 'Joey' O'Halloran was also jailed with them for 12 years at Birmingham Crown Court in October 2023.
Three members of a prolific Irish burglary gang have gone on the run after walking out of an open prison in the UK.
They were serving lengthy sentences handed down in 2023 after being linked to a crime spree in which 54 homes were broken into over a three-month period.
Police this week warned people not to approach Jason MacDonagh (34) who got a 13 year sentence, Daniel Harty (34), serving 12 years and Barney Casey (24) who got ten years.
Limerick burglary gang leader Darren 'Joey' O'Halloran was also jailed with them for 12 years at Birmingham Crown Court in October 2023.
The Ministry of Justice in the UK confirmed to the Sunday World this week that O'Halloran remains in custody.
The three other men left Spring Hill Prison in Buckinghamshire last Monday evening according to police.
They had been jailed in the UK for the spate of robberies in which st£350,000 worth of jewellery was stolen.
The four men hit 54 homes in the space of just three months across the West Midlands, between November 2022 and January 2023.
A video of one break-in shows the masked burglars calmly pulling a window off its hinges using crow bars before climbing through and into the property.
In another clip released by police at the time, a gang member is seen holding an axe as others tried to break through a security gate.
The thieves are also seen taking a run-up to kick open the door of another property and in another case, leaving with a safe.
They were also caught on CCTV changing the reg-plate on one of the cars they were using.
The gang were finally caught after detectives searched hours of CCTV which captured them using two getaway cars, an Audi R3 and a VW Golf.
O'Halloran previously got a four-year prison sentence in Limerick for threatening to kill a garda detective and burn down his house.
He had phoned the officer at Henry Street Garda to make the threats to the officer warning him to 'back off' the pursuit of his criminal gang.
He told the detective 'we'll do no more crime if ye back off me and Aaron', referring to his brother, but became aggressive when told the gardaí would not back off.
O'Halloran also threatened to 'finish' him saying: 'Go get your V6 Mondeo, I'll ram you off the road at 160 miles an hour.'
He was found guilty by a jury and later lost an appeal against his conviction.
The incident came after gardaí search O'Halloran's home looking for his brother Aaron who was on the run from gardaí after being involved in a high-speed chase.
When O'Halloran and the other men were being sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in 2023 they turned their backs on the judge and walked out of the dock.
The court had heard how they were part of a 'sophisticated' group, which robbed £350,000 worth of jewellery, cash and other belongings.
All four gang members, of no fixed address but originally from Ireland, were convicted of conspiracy to burgle and jailed at Birmingham Crown Court.