A man who admitted burglary at a south Dublin tennis club and trespassing at a hospital has been sentenced to 13 months in prison.
Mark Pierce, 45, a father of four with an address at a Dublin hostel, pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to burglary at Templeogue Tennis Club and trespassing at St James's Hospital.
The court heard that Pierce went to the tennis club on a bicycle at about 8.45pm on November 11, 2024 and gained entry through a members-only entrance after following others inside.
CCTV footage showed him walking around the premises before hiding in the women's changing rooms until the club had emptied.
After 11pm, alarms were triggered when he came out and forced entry to the bar area, damaging the door and lock. He then damaged the locks on the function room and the front door while trying to force them, before leaving the building through a window.
The court heard that repairs to the damage cost a total of €1,000. Pierce later made full admissions when arrested and questioned.
In a separate incident at St James's Hospital on July 31 last year, gardaí were called at about 12.10am after hospital security detained Pierce while he was walking around the premises.
When stopped, he was found with three mobile phones and a wallet, for which he had no explanation. He also had cocaine valued at €50 when arrested.
The court heard that Pierce had 184 previous convictions, including burglary and theft offences.
Defence solicitor Tony Collier said his client was originally from the Templeogue area and had developed a significant drug habit in his younger years, which he had funded through petty larceny.
Mr Collier said this had generally involved theft of property rather than interference with individuals. He added that Pierce was serving a sentence at Wheatfield Prison, where he was on a drug-free landing, receiving methadone treatment, and using his time constructively to address his issues.
Counsel asked the court to give Pierce credit for his guilty plea.
Pierce was sentenced to 10 months for the hospital trespass and a consecutive three months for the tennis club burglary. A further three months was suspended for two years.
The court also ordered that he undergo probation supervision, complete a drug treatment course, and stay away from both the tennis club and St James's Hospital, except for medical reasons.