Trio with over 470 convictions between them jailed for series of burglaries

Daryl Paul (35), who was previously jailed for finding and stealing Noah Donohoe’s rucksack, was sentenced to 15 months in custody, with a similar period on licence.

Paul pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and taking and driving away a motor vehicle.

His 39-year-old brother William Paul, of Tates Avenue in south Belfast, admitted two counts of burglary and was jailed for ten months, followed by 14 months on supervised licence following his release from prison.

Co-accused Robert Terence Halpin (39), of Ethel Street in south Belfast, was jailed for seven months, followed by 11 months on licence, after he pleaded guilty to burglary and taking a car and admitting four counts of handling stolen goods.

Passing sentence at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Desmond Marrinan warned the trio that if they breached the terms of their release conditions they would be recalled to prison to serve out the licence part of their sentence.

Prosecution barrister Gareth Purvis said that on August 11, 2021, a householder at Meadowbank Place, Belfast, was woken around 7am and noticed the front door was open and his Ford Focus car was missing from outside.

A forensic examination of the property recovered a DNA sample from a window which was a “positive match” to Daryl Paul.

On September 2, 2021, the owner of a house at Marlborough Park Central, Belfast, woke at 6.30am to discover her home had been burgled and that a wallet, house keys and a Mercedes CLS car were missing.

A fingerprint found at the property was a “positive match” to Daryl Paul.

“CCTV footage from the property showed a male, identified as Robert Halpin, who was missing a lower limb and was travelling on a mobility scooter, in the front garden,” said Mr Purvis.

“Dashcam footage showed the Mercedes car being driven away at speed and Mr Halpin was in front of the car on his mobility scooter.”

On September 1, 2021, William Paul burgled a house in Chadwick Street, Belfast, with a witness observing him exiting the house carrying a television. Police subsequently identified him from a CCTV camera.

The following day, he burgled a Tesco store on Belfast’s Lisburn Road and made off with £600 worth of whiskey. William Paul was identified from a store camera by a distinctive tattoo on his right calf.

During follow-up inquiries, police searched Halpin’s home and a number of stolen items from the burglaries were recovered, including the bottles of whiskey.

The court heard that Daryl Paul had 200 previous convictions, including 55 for theft, six for burglary, six offences of fraud and seven entries for handling stolen goods.

William Paul has 189 previous convictions, including 20 for theft, four offences of burglary, one for robbery along with entries for hijacking, fraud and going equipped for theft.

Halpin has 88 previous convictions, including seven entries for burglary, six for handling stolen goods and three offences of theft.

Defence barrister Stephen Toal said Halpin had to have his left leg amputated in 2014 after paramilitaries blasted him with a shotgun.

He added: “His flat was being used as a base for fencing the goods that were stolen in the burglaries.”