A 23-yr-old Dublin man who broke into the home of an 80-yr-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Dylan Mills, of Shangan Avenue, Ballymun, Dublin, entered guilty pleas to two counts of burglary, two counts of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and one count of criminal damage across a number of locations in Dublin between 1 October 2024 and 10 January 2025, reports Breaking News.
Handing down the sentence, Judge Martin Nolan described the first case as the “most serious” of the three matters before him, noting that Mills had entered a home occupied by an elderly man of 80 years of age, who had endured considerable trauma as a result. The judge observed that Mills appeared to have had a difficult and troubled upbringing, and acknowledged that a history of drug use ran in his family.
Judge Nolan identified several factors in mitigation, including Mills’ early guilty pleas, the remorse he had shown, and his positive conduct while in custody. However, when assessing the likelihood of reoffending, the judge said “the jury is out,” adding that his past behaviour “wouldn’t give you too much hope,” reports Breaking News.
Mills carries 16 prior convictions, covering offences including criminal damage, possession of stolen property, two counts of hit and run, assault on a police officer, assault, unlawful escape from custody, and drug-related offences. Garda Laura Barrett outlined a further incident from 10 January 2025, in which a man had started his wife’s car to defrost it on a cold morning, only to hear revving from outside and discover the vehicle had been driven away. Mills was spotted in the car shortly afterwards and was arrested and questioned.
The court was also told that Mills is currently serving a separate three-year prison term for the unlawful taking of a vehicle, with a release date set for August 2027, reports Breaking News.
Defence solicitor Fionnuala O’Sullivan accepted that her client had entered the elderly man’s home but argued that a number of personal and background circumstances warranted consideration. Garda Barrett confirmed in cross-examination by defence counsel Aoife McNickle that the car taken in the second incident had been recovered without damage, and that Mills had entered an early guilty plea and had experienced ongoing addiction difficulties, reports Breaking News.
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