Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 19345Aggravated burglary · Co. Longford · 3 Jun 2022

McDermott and Keane sentenced for aggravated burglary in Longford

In the early hours of 3 June 2022, an aggravated burglary was carried out at 25 Weaver's Hall, Market Square, Longford, where Brazilian man Luis De Silva and Chinese woman Kit de Long were held at knifepoint and a wallet containing €850, a phone and jewellery were stolen. John Kelly (34) posed as a garda with a bogus search warrant during the 20-minute raid. Kelly pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February 2023 to five years, consecutive to a four-year term for a separate Dublin robbery. Barry Keane (39) and Donna McDermott (37) also pleaded guilty, and in October 2023 each was sentenced to five years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Convicted14 Jun
  6. Sentenced1 Feb
    4 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Three people carried out an aggravated burglary, holding the occupants at knifepoint and stealing a wallet containing €850, a phone and jewellery.
  • John Kelly (34) posed as a garda and presented a piece of paper as a bogus search warrant during the 20-minute raid.
Where
The burglary took place at 25 Weaver's Hall, Market Square, Longford.
When
The burglary occurred in the early hours of 3 June 2022.
Weapon
One of the men brandished a seven-inch kitchen knife.
Investigation
The stolen phone was found in Kelly's possession in the same apartment complex within 24 hours.
Charges
Kelly, McDermott and Keane were all charged with aggravated burglary; Keane was also charged with possession of a knife.
In court
Kelly pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February 2023; Keane pleaded guilty in June 2023 and was remanded for sentence; McDermott pleaded guilty at a previous sitting.
Sentence
  • Kelly was sentenced to five years consecutive to a four-year term for a separate Dublin robbery, with the final 18 months suspended for five years and a €500 peace bond.
  • McDermott and Keane were each sentenced to five years in prison in October 2023, with the final 18 months suspended.
Other details
  • Kelly had 71 previous convictions and was on bail for a separate Dublin robbery at the time of the burglary.
  • Keane's barrister said he was in the grip of heroin addiction and is now on a methadone programme.
65 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatKelly posed as a garda and presented a piece of paper as a bogus search warrant (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatMr De Silva escaped through a window and ran down stairs onto Ballymahon Street in a pair of shorts (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatMs de Long was woken in her bedroom to find two men and a woman standing over her (longfordleader.ie, irishtimes.com, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatMs de Long's wallet containing €850 was snatched along with a red bag containing a phone, four rings and other jewellery (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatKelly had set up a Facebook profile on the stolen phone within hours of the incident (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatKelly had 71 previous convictions (longfordleader.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatKelly was on bail for a separate robbery in Dublin at the time of the raid (longfordleader.ie, irishtimes.com, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatThe burglary ordeal lasted 20 minutes (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatMs de Long was left over €2,000 out of pocket (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatKelly is a father of nine and a chronic drug addict who became hooked from the age of 10 (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatMr De Silva had only moved into the apartment complex two weeks before the burglary (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatKelly posed as a garda during the burglary (irishtimes.com)
  • whatDonna McDermott (37) pleaded guilty to the same offence at a previous court sitting (irishtimes.com)
  • whatDespite a bench warrant being issued, Donna McDermott was still at large (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMr De Silva had only moved into the apartment complex two weeks previously (irishtimes.com)
  • whatUpon opening the door, Mr De Silva was confronted by two men, one brandishing a kitchen knife (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMcDermott was also present at the scene (irishtimes.com)
  • whatKelly presented a piece of paper as a bogus search warrant (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMr De Silva managed to escape through a window (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMs de Long identified Kelly by a small scar under his left eye (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe raiders fled with a wallet containing €850, a mobile phone and some jewellery (irishtimes.com)
  • whatOne of the two men at the door was brandishing a seven inch kitchen knife. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatMs de Long's wallet containing €850 and a red bag with a phone, four rings and other jewellery were snatched. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • whatBarry Keane was charged with aggravated burglary and possession of a knife. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatTwo co-accused were jailed for the aggravated burglary of an apartment in Longford. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatTwo men and one woman were at the door when the occupant opened it. (longfordleader.ie)
  • what€1,200 was taken from the apartment, along with a handbag and two phones. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatOnly the phones and one of the gold rings were recovered. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whereThe burglary took place at 25 Weaver's Hall, Market Square, Longford (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whereThe offence took place at 25 Weavers Hall, Longford. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whereThe burglary took place at an apartment in Weaver's Hall, Market Square, Longford. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whenThe burglary occurred during the early hours of 3 June 2022 (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • whenThe robbery occurred in the early hours of 3 June 2022 (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe offence took place on 3 June 2022. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whenThe burglary took place on June 3, 2022. (longfordleader.ie)
  • causeKeane's barrister said he was in the grip of heroin addiction and is now on a methadone programme. (longfordleader.ie)
  • weaponOne of the men was brandishing a seven-inch kitchen knife (longfordleader.ie)
  • weaponA knife was used in the offence. (longfordleader.ie)
  • weaponBarry Keane took a kitchen knife and held it to the occupant's neck while making demands. (longfordleader.ie)
  • investigationThe stolen phone was found in Kelly's possession in the same apartment complex within 24 hours (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • investigationGardaí found the phone in Kelly's possession in the same apartment complex a day later (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeKeane pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary. (longfordleader.ie)
  • chargeOne of the men was holding a bogus search warrant to pose as a Garda. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtJudge Johnson said the headline sentence for the incident attracted a tariff of nine years (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtJudge Johnson stated the headline sentence for the incident attracted a tariff of nine years. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • courtJudge Connolly remanded Keane in custody for sentence. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtKeane is due to return to Longford Circuit Court on 4 October for sentence. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe defence said Keane never sought a trial date. (longfordleader.ie)
  • courtThe accused appeared at Longford Circuit Court. (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceKelly was sentenced to four years for the separate Dublin robbery, not due for release until June 2025 (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceJudge Johnson imposed a five-year sentence to run consecutively to the four-year term Kelly was already serving (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceThe final 18 months of the sentence were suspended for five years (longfordleader.ie, irishtimes.com, offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceKelly was ordered to enter a €500 bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years post release (longfordleader.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceKelly had been sentenced to four years in prison for the Dublin robbery and was not due for release until June 2025 (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceJudge Johnson imposed a five-year sentence to run consecutively to the four-year term (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceKelly was sentenced to four years for the Dublin robbery and was not due for release until June 2025. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceDonna McDermott and Barry Keane were each sentenced to five years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended for four years. (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceThe sentence was backdated to when the accused were first remanded in custody. (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceA third co-accused was sentenced earlier this year to five years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherJohn Kelly is a father of nine and a chronic drug addict. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherKelly had 71 previous convictions to his name. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherThe burglary ordeal lasted approximately 20 minutes. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherKelly read a handwritten letter of apology in court. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherBarry Keane has a chronic heroin addiction. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherA probation report found both accused were at high risk of reoffending. (longfordleader.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 27 Oct2023
    Sentencedlongfordleader.ie, follow-up
    Longford Pair jailed for aggravated burglary

    Court report on the sentencing of two of three co-accused; a third co-accused was sentenced earlier this year. Not the same incident as the Inishowen crash case involving a different Donna McDermott.

    convicted, Donna McDermott, 37, female, named, irish (judged from name)Donna McDermottconvicted, Barry Keane, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Barry Keaneconvicted, malevictim, Luis de Silva, male, Brazilian, non-irishLuis de Silvavictim, Kit de Long, female, Chinese, non-irishKit de Long
  2. 14 Jun2023
    Convictedlongfordleader.ie, follow-up
    Longford man to be sentenced over aggravated burglary

    Keane pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and was remanded in custody for sentence, with sentencing set for 4 October at Longford Circuit Court. His barrister said a Probation and Welfare report and a Governor's report would help the court. The article is about Keane alone and does not mention the other co-accused.

    convicted, Barry Keane, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Barry Keane
  3. 5 Feb2023
    Sentencedoffalyexpress.ie, its first report
    Father of nine in the Midlands who posed as a garda jailed over 'terrifying' aggravated burglary

    Reports John Kelly's sentencing to five years consecutive to a four-year term for a separate Dublin robbery, with the final 18 months suspended. Provides details of how Kelly posed as a garda with a bogus search warrant, the victims' impact statements, Kelly's handwritten apology, and that co-accused Donna McDermott was still at large despite a bench warrant.

    convicted, John Kelly, 34, male, named, irish (judged from name)John Kellyvictim, Luis De Silva, male, Brazilian, non-irishLuis De Silvavictim, Kit de Long, female, Chinese, non-irishKit de Longconvicted, Donna McDermott, 37, female, named, irish (judged from name)Donna McDermottaccused, male
  4. 1 Feb2023
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, its first report
    Man sentenced over knifepoint robbery in Longford town

    Reports John Kelly's sentencing to five years (consecutive to a four-year term for a separate Dublin robbery, with the final 18 months suspended for five years). Also notes co-accused Donna McDermott remains at large despite a bench warrant.

    victim, Luis De Silva, male, non-irish (judged from name)Luis De Silvavictim, Kit de Long, female, non-irish (judged from name)Kit de Longconvicted, John Kelly, 34, male, named, irish (judged from name)John Kellyconvicted, Donna McDermott, 37, female, named, irish (judged from name)Donna McDermott
  5. 1 Feb2023
    Sentencedlongfordleader.ie, first report
    BREAKING: Longford father of nine and chronic drug addict who posed as a garda jailed over "terrifying" aggravated burglary

    Reports the sentencing of John Kelly to five years (consecutive to four years for a separate Dublin robbery, with 18 months suspended and a €500 peace bond). Provides detailed account of the burglary including the use of a seven-inch kitchen knife, a bogus search warrant, items stolen (€850, phone, four rings, jewellery), and victim impact statements. Confirms Kelly had 71 previous convictions and was a chronic drug addict and father of nine.

    victim, Luis De Silva, male, Brazilian, non-irishLuis De Silvavictim, Kit de Long, female, Chinese, non-irishKit de Longconvicted, John Kelly, 34, male, named, irish (judged from name)John Kellyconvicted, Donna McDermott, 37, female, named, irish (judged from name)Donna McDermott