Homeless man jailed for stealing keys to vacant parochial house

A homeless man who stole keys to a vacant house was jailed at a recent sitting of Monaghan District Court.

Marko Gaspicrestovic (24), of no fixed abode, had stolen the keys to Old Parochial House, Laurel Hill, in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, and stayed there for a number of days.

Investigation

When gardaí inspected the home on November 29, 2025, after being alerted by the owner, they found nobody at the property, but a fire was lit and there was evidence that somebody had been staying there.

The court heard that, when gardaí returned to the property on November 30, Mr Gaspicrestovic, a Croatian man who has been living in Ireland for the past seven years, was found in the sitting room and was arrested for the theft of the keys.

Sentence

Sergeant Lisa McEntee outlined to the court that the defendant was also previously found to have broken into a car in Castleblayney to sleep in it.

Judge Gerard Jones imposed a one-month prison sentence for the theft of the keys.