By Sonya McLean
A 94-year-old man who woke up to find a burglar in his bedroom struck the intruder twice with a shoehorn and shouted at him to get out of his home.
Aaron Waddington (36) immediately left the house.
He had broken into the property by smashing a front sitting room window with a brick.
He had cut his leg badly while gaining entry and left a trail of blood through the house which later linked him back to the burglary.
Waddington of Louglinstown Park, Loughlinstown, was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday after Judge Martin Nolan said the burglary will have an impact on the victim’s “peace of mind and security” in his own home.
He said burglars always take a chance when they break into a property that the homeowner may be a vulnerable person.
He acknowledged that Waddington was not aware that the victim was an elderly man living alone but he said he took that chance.
Judge Nolan accepted evidence that the victim described the intruder as “docile” and the judge accepted that he immediately left when told to do so – “he did the right thing”, he commented.
He said Waddington had a long history of offending and said the offence warranted a headline sentence of five years before he reduced that to three years having taken into account his plea of guilty and other mitigating factors.
The sentence was backdated to when Waddington first went into custody in March of this year.
Waddington pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary of the man’s Dublin home on March 14, 2025.
The victim’s daughter took the stand to read a victim impact statement into the record.
She said that in the immediate aftermath of the burglary her father was very anxious and he struggled to eat.
She said his appetite has since improved but he is still very upset and distressed and his sleep has been impacted.
She said family members stay with him day and night now and it took her brother a considerable amount of time to clean up the blood that had been trailed through the house.
She said her father had been living in that house since 1979 and had worked all his life since he was 16 years old.
She said her mother passed away some years ago and her father had been a very active member of the neighbourhood watch and residential association.
She said the burglary was “an wanton invasion of a home” and described Waddington’s behaviour as “cruel and mindless” with “a total disregard for the consequences”.
She praised the gardaí for the excellent support they gave her father on the night of the burglary and said that the family have received “an exemplary service” from the gardaí.
She also thanked her father’s neighbours and said she is hopeful that they will heal from the emotional and psychological scars.
Garda Natahsa McAleese told Simon Donagh BL, prosecuting, that the victim woke up at 3am to find Waddington standing beside his bed.
He shouted at him to get out and struck Waddington with a shoehorn.
It was acknowledged that no threats were made to the victim and the intruder were described as “docile”.
When Waddington left, the victim locked the door and hit his panic alarm.
The gardaí arrived shortly afterwards and his daughter arrived also.
Gda McAleese said Waddington had used a brick to smash the window of the sitting room.
He had cut his leg while getting into the house and left a trail of blood. She said he had stolen two watches.
Waddington was stopped that night near the man’s home.
His leg was bleeding and his trousers were ripped. He still had the stolen watches.
He was arrested after receiving treatment in hospital but made no admissions during interview.
A blood sample was taken and it was linked back to the blood found at the man’s home.
Waddington has previous convictions for offences including drugs, road traffic, criminal damage and theft.
Brian Gageby BL, defending, acknowledged that it was “a grim case”.
He said his client started smoking heroin as a 19-year-old having developed a drug addiction at a young age.
The father of three had written a letter of remorse to the court.
Counsel said his client has instructed he wants to be there for his children going forward and he is doing well since his remand in custody.