Herd the one about the cattle who chased down jewellery thieves?
A HERD of cattle helped chase a member of a gang which had just stolen €4,600 worth of jewellery from a house in Co Meath last year into the arms of two waiting gardai Trim Circuit Court heard.
Twenty-three-year-old father-of-one, Daniel Lawlor, with an address at Kiltalown Rd, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty to burglary on 8th June 2018 at Carne Hill, Johnstown Navan.
Det. Garda Pat Muldowney told prosecuting counsel Carl Hanahoe BL that a woman alerted gardai that night when she spotted two men breaking into a neighbour's house while the owners were away on holiday.
Another neighbour photographed the two men when they fled over a wall, ran through another garden and jumped into a car which drove off.
The court heard the getaway car took a wrong turn bringing the gang further into the estate and they ended up in a cul-de-sac facing a concrete wall with gardai and the neighbours bearing down on them.
The gang scrambled over the wall into a large field in a bid to make good their escape.
A Garda cordon was put in place explained Det Muldowney who added that he and a colleague who were in position on the adjoining road arrested Lawlor after they heard livestock running in the field.
"The cattle effectively took up the chase", said Mr Hanahoe.
"They were of valuable assistance", replied Det. Muldowney.
Lawlor's DNA was later found on a makeshift balaclava made from a pair of tights discovered in the getaway car where gardai also found two baseball bats.
The court heard the defendant admitted being in the car but had not been one of the two men who broke in and stole the jewellery.
None of the other gang members had been caught and while a small amount of stolen jewellery was retrieved an antique gold watch which was of great sentimental to the owners was not recovered.
Damage of €1,100 was caused when the robbers broke into the house.
Judge Martina Baxter who remanded the defendant on bail for urinalysis and a probation report to November also commended the owner of the livestock "for being so alert".