Refusing to grant bail to 19-year-old Paul Moran, District Judge Eamon King said that having heard how two high end cars were recovered by the Gardai after they were driven across the border, “illustrates a degree of sophistication and organisation and planning.”

The judge told Lisburn Magistrates Court there seems to be “the targeting of high value vehicles from this jurisdiction and then transported to the south and the impression that the court has is that this may be the tip of the iceberg.”

Appearing at court by video link from police custody Moran, from Mourne Drive, Skerries, in Co. Dublin, was charged with six offences, all alleged to have been committed on 11 July this year.

The 19-year-old faces charges of burglary of a property at Fairy Glen in Crossmaglen, theft of a VW Arteon, interfering with two other cars, handling a stolen Audi A3 and obstructing police.

Giving evidence during a contested application for bail, Detective Constable Duffin outlined how it was in the early hours of Friday when the sleeping residents of a home on Fairy Glen were awoken by a loud bang “that sounded like the front door closing.”

The couple looked outside and as well as broken glass at the front door, they saw their silver VW Arteon being driven away, even though the keys were still inside.

A Nissan vehicle which was parked in the driveway had been “rummaged through but nothing was stolen” from that car.

The court heard the stolen VW has since been recovered by Gardai in the Balbriggan area of Dublin, said the detective.

DC Duffin told the court a short time after that incident, the occupants of a property on Chapel View, also in Crossmaglen, were awoken by the sound of people outside.

Footage from the doorbell “shows men in their driveway making some sort of mark to their car and trying to open the front window unsuccessfully.”

Around this time, a Citroën van, a Peugeot van and a silver Audi A3 drive past their home and the court heard that later that morning, the owner of the Peugeot van reported it had been stolen.

“There was no forced entry to his home” and he still has the keys to the van, said the officer, adding that the van has not yet been recovered.

On Friday morning, “an occupant of Dundalk Road was alerted by locals of an incident and checked his property,” said DC Duffin who told the court that CCTV footage showed someone “rummaging” through his Skoda car but again, nothing was taken.

The investigator revealed that due to a local WhatsApp group where alerts were shared about suspicious activity, residents had been checking their houses and properties.

At 05.40, the owners of a property on the Low Road “noticed that their white Range Rover was parked in the driveway with the engine running” and watched on the footage as a hooded male got inti the driver’s set while another vehicle “rammed into the gates to force them open.”

Apart from the smashed gates, “there were no signs of forced entry and the keys are still in the house,” said DC Duffin, adding that thanks to a tracker device in the Range Rover, the stolen vehicle was also recovered in the Balbriggan area of Dublin.

When officers spoke to the owner of the stolen Peugeot van, he told police he had found his driving licence lying on the ground beside an Audi A3, parked in an oil depot in Crossmaglen.

Police attended and having found the keys sitting on top of one of the wheels, Gardai have confirmed the Audi had been stolen from a house in Ardee the previous night.

Inside that stolen car, officers found a Nike backpack and that was found to contain Moran’s passport, the court heard.

Moran and three others were arrested after local residents reported a suspicious VW Golf in the area and while two have been released on police bail pending further enquiries, one remains in hospital having suffered difficulties related to their diabetes.

During police interviews, Moran refused to answer questions and DC Duffin said police were objecting to bail due to fears of further offending and that he would not turn up to court.

Moran’s defence solicitor submitted that with a proposed bail address to reside with a friend in Belfast, the defendant could be granted bail albeit with conditions such as tagging and reporting.

District Judge Eamon King disagreed however, citing the risks of further offending and Moran not turning for court appearances.

Remanding the teenager into custody, he adjourned the case to 6 August.

News in 90 Seconds – Monday July 14th