Burglar gets 22 years for 'horrendous' crime spree

Martin McDonagh's crimes were labelled "horrendous" by Judge Stuart Rafferty KC

A violent burglar who went "on the warpath" by carrying out a string of robberies and thefts across Nottingham after his marriage collapsed has been jailed for 22 years.

Martin McDonagh, 51, raided the homes of vulnerable people across the city to fund his £200-a-day drug habit, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

His "glut of offending" led to the charity Crimestoppers offering a £10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

Sentencing McDonagh on Wednesday, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said: "These are horrendous offences."

The court heard McDonagh, who committed his first crime and started taking drugs when he was 11, had 111 convictions to his name and had spent several stints behind bars.

Prosecutor Steven Taylor said McDonagh's latest round of offending began in May 2023 before he was arrested in April 2024.

The majority of robberies, burglaries and thefts took place in March - a month before he was detained.

McDonagh was jailed for 22 years at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday

They included breaking in to a woman's house in May 2023, straddling her in bed while her baby was in a cot next to her and threatening her with a saucepan to get access to a safe he thought was inside the property.

A week later, McDonagh led police on a high-speed chase along the A610 in Nottinghamshire - at times speeding through oncoming traffic - and crashed into a central reservation before running off.

In January 2024, McDonagh barged his way into a house in St Ann's, Nottingham, and stole cash from a woman.

A month later he and another man threatened a retired Nepalese couple at their home in Radford with a screwdriver and knife before stealing jewellery and thousands of pounds in cash.

In a victim impact statement, the male victim said he now regretted moving to the UK.

Two days later, McDonagh barged his way into a property on Basford Road after telling a retired man he was from British Gas.

He then demanded money while holding a kitchen knife to the man's throat.

'Frankly appalling'

In mitigation, Sam Lowne, defending, said McDonagh had experienced a troubled childhood and was in care by the age of 12.

He added McDonagh's marriage had collapsed which "sent him on the warpath" of offending to fund his drug addiction.

In a letter to the judge, McDonagh said: "I have let myself be destroyed by drink and drugs... I am truly regretful and sorry for what I have done... I am deeply ashamed."

But addressing McDonagh, Judge Rafferty KC said: "[You were] a man with no sorrow, no thought at all for your victims.

"If things go wrong in your life, this is no excuse for you to commit these crimes... it happens to people every day but they don't go on to do what you did.

"Robbing people in their own home or burgling people by barging into their homes is frankly appalling.

"These are horrendous crimes."