A burglar was arrested after he broke into a crime scene to use the toilet, a court has heard.

John “Buddy” O’Brien went into the building on Valentia Island, in Co Kerry, to relieve himself a day after it was burgled; a sergeant who was carrying out a technical examination recognised and arrested him, Tralee District Court was told.

O’Brien (40), a father of one with an address at Clash Road, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick, admitted a single count of burglary of a residence over a coffee shop at Knightstown, on Valentia, on July 12th, 2016.

Sgt Miriam Mulhall-Nolan said that at about 1.10pm that day O’Brien entered the bedroom where Sgt Liam Laffin was working and asked the way to the toilet. O’Brien first said he had taken a wrong turn into the bedroom, then admitted to Sgt Eoin Donovan that he intended to commit a crime while there.

O’Brien’s solicitor, Patrick Mann, said that the burglary the previous day had nothing to do with his client but that after O’Brien saw the coffee shop open he was “overcome by the notion that if there was something takable, he would take it”.

Judge James O’Connor imposed a sentence of nine months. O’Brien has 93 previous convictions, 55 of them for theft, burglary and gain by deception, the court was told.