A vicious burglar who gagged a publicans’s wife be

A vicious burglar who gagged a publicans’s wife before
stealing her family heirlooms has been caged for ten years by
an Old Bailey judge.

Paul O’Neil, 34, and an accomplice silenced the guard dog
at the African Queen in Grundy Street, Poplar, with a piece of meat
then pounced on Mrs Louise Maloney as she was locking up.

The landlady, who was in her fifties, screamed as the
masked intruders tried to tie her up then gagged her with tape.

Hearing her cries her husband Patrick rushed to her aid
and a desperate struggle began.

But O’Neil then put a screwdriver at Mrs Maloney’s
throat, forcing her husband to give up the fight.

He too was gagged with tape then the burglars stole
pnds stlng 25,000 worth of irreplacable jewellery which had been
handed down through the family.

The pair escaped by leaping over fences at the back of
the pub but the police had been alerted because the publican and
his wife had activated their alarm system.

Both men were chased and O’Neil was caught, but his
acccomplice managed to get away.

O’Neil of Seven Sisters Road, Tottenham denied aggravated
burglary claiming he was simply the look out, but was convicted by
the jury.

Judge Giles Forrester told him: ‘During the course of
this offence a vicious attack was made on two members of the
public in their own home.

‘They were subjected to a terrifying ordeal whilst they
were robbed of their jewellery.

‘Each was secured by tape across the mouth and a screwdriver
was held at the lady’s neck.

‘This was a planned and organised raid on people in their
own home at night, accompanied by force and threats.

On any view
your role was substantial.

‘I must pass a sentence which reflects the gravity of this
conduct and one of such a length to protect the public from you for
some time to come.

‘
O’Neil appeared shocked at his sentence as he was led to
the cells.

ENDS