Ex-carer jailed for eight years over violent burglaries

A former carer has been jailed for eight years for her role in carrying out violent burglaries at the homes of seven elderly people whom she had previously looked after.

38-year-old Precious Moyo, originally from Zimbabwe and who lived at the Athlone Accommodation Centre at Lissywollen, Athlone, Co Westmeath pleaded guilty to burglary and aggravated burglary offences between June and September 2023.

Additionally, a man has been sentenced to six years imprisonment, for his part in the crimes which happened in Athlone between June and September 2023.

Yamen Alhamada, 20, who came to Ireland from Syria to escape war, had an address at Warren Grove, Boyle, Co Roscommon pleaded to the same offences.

Judge Keenan Johnson said the crimes were "nasty" and described the effects on the six elderly men and women, aged 73 to 89, as heartbreaking.

The judge said the crimes had destroyed the victim's sense of security so much so that some of the victims can no longer live independently.

At an earlier hearing at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, it was heard that Ms Moyo had worked for a home help agency for a year, where she developed "intimate" knowledge about their households.

Her accomplice Mr Alhamada had completed the Leaving Certificate and got a place in college.

However, he started abusing alcohol and drugs and helped Ms Moyo after she was let go from an agency due to client complaints.

Prosecuting counsel John Hayden said four of the incidents occurred in housing estates in Athlone and another at a house about five kilometres outside the town between 14 June and 8 September last year.

Most of the money stolen was from a funeral fund for two sisters.

Evidence

Garda Detectives Niall Cogavin and Kenneth Nerney outlined the evidence against the pair.

The court heard the victims were traumatised; three of them were attacked in their homes, and the former carer warned one, "We'll be back".

The first incident took place at the house of a woman aged 73.

Ms Moyo, wearing a high-vis top and a Covid-19 facemask, hung around her home for two hours before sneaking and taking a handbag containing €24,000.

Ms Moyo, who claims to have been a social worker before she came to Ireland in 2019, jogged to a taxi and went home.

The court heard Ms Moyo "put the fear of God into her"; her victim constantly locks her house now, and her life changed dramatically.

Her sister stated that she had to move in full-time because the victim was now "so afraid".

"This money was to be used for our funerals. My sister's heart and my own heart are now broken; now we are so worried as to how we will pay for our funerals."

Just €2,250 of the missing money was recovered.

A niece told the court the financial loss and psychological effects were huge.

'Lost trust in people'

On 30 August, Ms Moyo drove her accomplice to the house of another woman, aged 89, with advanced dementia.

Mr Alhamada knocked and told the woman he was looking for a missing person.

She let him check the house, believing he was a garda, but he stole her handbag, which contained over €200, and bank cards.

The youth fled and was picked up by Ms Moyo.

The victim’s son represented her in court. He provided an impact statement saying she already had money stolen by a former carer, and this breach of trust added to her vulnerability and insecurity.

Two days later, at 7pm, Ms Moyo, wearing a wig, surgical gloves and mask, drove Mr Alhamada to the home of another former client.

In a hard hat and wearing a Covid-19 face mask, the student tricked a 76-year-old widow into thinking he needed to check for a leak.

He was let in, but a lodger disturbed him when he went upstairs, and he fled empty-handed.

The court heard that after losing her husband previously, that victim had cancer treatment and took in a lodger because she was lonely.

The incident frightened her, leaving her constantly checking if anyone was at the door, and she got rid of her home carers.

She said, "I’ve lost trust in people and am suspicious of people".

At around 5am on 2 September, they drove to the home of an 80-year-old man with mobility issues who lives alone.

He awoke to the sound of glass breaking, Ms Moyo had a wheel jack to smash their way in.

The two intruders entered his bedroom and started shouting at him to hand over his money.

Detective Garda Cogavin said: "He was held by his arms by Yamen Alhamada, who pulled off his panic alarm from around his wrist. He was then pulled onto the ground and held down there.

"He tried to get up, but Mr Alhamada hit him with an unknown object, and he started bleeding heavily from his nose."

The court heard Mr Alhamada "pierced his arms a number of times with what he believed to have been a needle concealed in his glove".

The pair stayed in the house for about 30 minutes "and went through my deceased wife’s things".

They left with €200 from a wallet and also took some jewellery that had belonged to the pensioner’s late wife and "her (Ms Moyo's) last words were 'we’ll be back’".

The victim, who has Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, needs to take 12 tablets a day and has balance problems.

He was bleeding but managed to get next door to alert relatives, but due to his condition, it took a while to get there.

Doorbell video footage showed him distraught and gasping as he said, "I’ve been broken into".

Gardaí confirmed his home was ransacked, and there were "pools of blood on the bedroom floor".

In his victim impact statement, he spoke about being "constantly afraid someone will break in" to the house he built 50 years ago to raise his family.

He implored the judge to "lock them up for a long time because they are evil".

The final incident happened on 8 September when a man with dementia and his partner, in their 80s, had €10,000 violently stolen by the two defendants who broke into their home in the town.

Mr Alhamada was armed with a five-inch flick knife, and Ms Moyo showed "intimate knowledge" of the layout of the house, the occupants and their possessions.

The teenager, disguised in a wig, mask and dress, grabbed the elderly woman by her throat and dragged her to the floor, resulting in a cut to the side of her ear as he shouted, "Where’s the money?"

Meanwhile, Ms Moyo put her hand over the man’s mouth, restricting his breathing, and directed the teenager to remove a wrist alarm from the woman.

In her victim impact statement, the senior citizen revealed that she and her partner lost trust, fearing it would happen again.

The woman and her partner had since moved to separate nursing homes, she said, "and I miss him dearly".

Arrest

Following the arrest, Mr Alhamada confessed to gardaí that he earned €2,500 from the crimes, which he spent on "weed" and a pellet gun.

He told the investigation team that he went along with Ms Moyo because she was "into black magic called 'juju’, and he would be protected if he did what she said."

He said Ms Moyo made him use the knife, and he was afraid of her.

In her interviews, Ms Moyo "made no admissions".

The court heard that all the victims were clients of the same care agency.

Ms Moyo had worked there for a year and provided home help services to the victims from April to June 2023.

Gardaí accepted that cannabis addict Mr Alhamada was the "junior partner".

Sentencing

Judge Johnson described the crimes as horrific and nasty and said he could see their profound effect.

The judge said the effects were heartbreaking and he added that the pair showed gross contempt and were an absolute disgrace.

He said he hoped today's sentencing gives some sort of closure to the victims and their families; however, he added that no punishment will undo the great wrong done to the victims.

Judge Johnson said a strong message has to be sent out that perpetrators of this type of abhorrent and offensive activity can expect significant sentences.

He also said that by engaging in this activity the pair had tarnished the reputation of genuine refugees.

Judge Johnson said he did not want people highlighting this case as being indicative of refugees, adding that the vast majority are law abiding citizens who contribute to Irish society.

Garda investigation

Judge Johnson praised the "massive" and "painstaking" Garda investigation that led to their arrest.

The probe involved harvesting crucial CCTV footage from various locations to track their movements around the town and analysing fingerprints and DNA.

Afterwards Detective Superintendent Westmeath/Meath Garda Division David Nolan said their thoughts are with the victims.

"The thoughts of the investigation team and every member of the gardaí are with the victims of these wicked crimes" he said.

Judge Keenan Johnson told the victims' families today that €35,000, which the court had ordered as a consequence of a recent Health and Safety sentencing in Mullingar, will be divided among the victims.

All sentences are backdated to September 2023.