John Kieran and Edward McDonagh were jailed for stealing safes and a minibus from Express Motors
Three men who stole money, safes and a minibus from a Gwynedd company were caught after tracking devices in the equipment revealed they were in the Midlands.
The minibus was stopped by police using “stinger” devices near Coventry, and Edward, John Kieran and Bernard McDonagh, who were travelling separately in a Mazda, were arrested.
The three were jailed for a total of more than seven years today, but Caernarfon Crown Court heard the two men in the minibus were able to escape police.
Edward (Ned) McDonagh, 18, of Willowbank, Manchester, his father John Kieran McDonagh, 52, of Board House, Stoke-on-Trent, and his brother Bernard McDonagh, 48, of Horsemanside, Brentwood, Essex, all pleaded guilty to burglary at the Express Motors depot in Penygroes, and to stealing two safes containing £6,000, the Mercedes minibus and keys.
Prosecutor Richard Edwards said the minibus containing the safes was stopped at a service station by police, but the men inside made off.
The three McDonaghs were travelling “in convoy” with the minibus and were arrested.
Mr Edwards said they had been to a party in Manchester, where they had “drunk a lot of alcohol” and taken drugs including cocaine.
They had then driven to Gwynedd, intending to go to another party, but didn’t have money for fuel and stopped at the depot at about 3am on January 7.
Mr Edwards said that, following the burglary, a member of staff found two large safes and a 17-seater Mercedes bus worth £6,000 were missing.
The money and safes were recovered, but the estimated cost of the damage to the company was £1,444, including replacing six tyres on the minibus.
Mr Edwards said the gang had “ransacked” the depot’s reception office before travelling through Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Shropshire and the West Midlands, and entering Warwickshire.
Patrick Harris, defending, said all three had previous convictions.
John was said to have fewer convictions than the other two, although one of his convictions in Ireland was for possessing a firearm, for which he had been jailed.
The court heard the two brothers have eight children each, while the younger man has two.
Judge Philip Harris-Jenkins said: “The purpose of your visit was to target any premises in the area unsecured or not fully secured and to remove any items.”
Edward and Bernard McDonagh were sentenced to two years and three months each, and Edward was given an additional 12 months for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
John McDonagh was sentenced to one year and 10 months.
Each will serve half of their sentence and the rest on licence.
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/express-motors-burglars-caught-tracking-10860182
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