Ireland Man sentenced to 18 months for 2010 Rathgar burglary
Tomasz Bebenek, a 34-year-old man, pleaded guilty to one count of trespass and theft at a home in Rathgar, Dublin, on 15 March 2010, when he stole two laptops, a camera, a camcorder and a child's music device worth a combined €1,080. He left blood at the scene, which was matched in 2019 to a DNA sample on file in the UK after a change in European DNA sharing procedures allowed gardaí to check samples against other EU countries. Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to 18 months, backdated to September 2022. Bebenek, who has 44 previous convictions, is in custody awaiting a European Arrest Warrant to Poland.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced21 Mar
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Bebenek burgled a home in Rathgar, Dublin, stealing two laptops, a camera, a camcorder and a child's music device with a combined value of €1,080.
- Where
- The burglary took place at an address in Rathgar, Dublin.
- When
- The burglary occurred on 15 March 2010.
- Investigation
- Bebenek left blood at the scene, which was matched in 2019 to a DNA sample on file in the UK after a change in European DNA sharing procedures allowed gardaí to check samples against other EU countries.
- Charges
- Bebenek pleaded guilty to one count of trespass and theft.
- In court
- The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
- Sentence
- Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Bebenek to 18 months, backdated to September 2022.
- Other details
- Bebenek has 44 previous convictions and is in custody awaiting a European Arrest Warrant to Poland.
- None of the stolen items were recovered and the injured parties declined to provide a victim impact statement.
- Bebenek moved to Ireland in 2005, has a history of drug addiction, and told gardaí he does not recall the 2010 burglary.
18 statements extracted from the articles
- whatBebenek left blood at the crime scene (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe stolen items had a combined value of €1,080 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe burglary occurred on 15 March 2010 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA 2019 change in European DNA sharing procedures allowed gardaí to check DNA samples against other EU countries (irishtimes.com)
- chargeBebenek pleaded guilty to one count of trespass and theft (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJudge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 18 months (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentence was backdated to September 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe UK was still part of the EU in 2019 when the match was made (irishtimes.com)
- otherNone of the stolen items were recovered (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe injured parties declined to provide a victim impact statement (irishtimes.com)
- otherBebenek has 44 previous convictions (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe is in custody awaiting a European Arrest Warrant (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe is wanted in Poland in relation to other matters (irishtimes.com)
- otherBebenek moved to Ireland in 2005 (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe has a good work history in the Irish construction industry (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe has a history of drug addiction (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe does not recall the 2010 burglary and told gardaí his life was in turmoil at the time (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 21 Mar2023Man responsible for 2010 Rathgar burglary caught after DNA sharing deal
Reports the guilty plea and 18-month sentence (backdated to September 2022) for a 2010 Rathgar burglary, solved via a European DNA database match in 2019. Bebenek, who has 44 previous convictions, is also in custody awaiting a European Arrest Warrant to Poland.
convicted, Tomasz Bebenek, 34, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Tomasz Bebenekvictim