Garden centre thief's plot was soiled by trail of compost

AN UNWITTING burglar who fled a garden centre with a trolley full of stolen shrubs and flowers left a trail of compost behind him to lead gardai to the man's home nearby, a court has heard.

- GORDON DEEGAN

At Ennis District Court, solicitor for Eamon Quinn (38), Tara Godfrey admitted her client's €500 theft of products from Vaughan's Garden Centre, Gort Road Industrial Estate on Ennis's Gort Road on February 10 was "cartoonish".

Sgt Frank O'Grady told the court that Quinn had taken flowers, shrubs and stone ornaments from the centre and a trail of compost he left behind led gardai to his home a short distance away at Aughanteeroe, Gort Road, Ennis.