The case of Garret Kirwan, an AI technician based in Mountrath, has been set for hearing in Portlaoise District Court in early February 2017.

Mr Kirwan previously appeared in Portlaoise on 28 July and was charged with handling stolen property.

According to sources close to the case, gardaí searched Mr Kirwan’s property between 12 and 13 July and it is alleged they found nine boxes of silage wrap that were previously reported as stolen from a well-known agri-business in the surrounding area. The value of the wrap is understood to be in the region of €1,000. Mr Kirwan was arrested in the early hours of 13 July and was subsequently released on bail.

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Gardaí made the arrest as part of a wider investigation into a gang involved in robbing a range of items from farm properties in Laois, Tipperary, Offaly, Carlow and Kilkenny.

On Thursday 15 September in Portlaoise District Court, Judge Catherine Staines set the February court date and accepted jurisdiction for the case under directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions, who instructed that the case be heard in the district court.

Mr Kirwan was present for today’s court date and was represented by his solicitor Tom O’Grady of Mountrath. According to the court, he has yet to plead guilty or not guilty in relation to the charges set out against him.

Other arrests

Gardaí have arrested three other men as part of the wider investigation. Thomas McInerney, Twomey Park, Mountmellick; William McInerney, Newline Close, Mountrath; and Gerard McInerney, Woodbrook, Mountrath, all in their 30s, were arrested and appeared before Tullamore District Court, where they were charged on 13 July. They were later remanded in custody in Cloverhill prison, where they have remained for over nine weeks. They are due to appear again before the court in Cloverhill on Wednesday 28 September.

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