'Sadistic' man caught with stolen property in Clare village served lengthy prison sentence

A Limerick man who was found in possession of nearly €10,000 worth of stolen goods in the car park of a local shop in County Clare has been handed down a lengthy prison sentence for that and other offences. 

William 'Willie' Woodland, aged 31, of Shanabooley Road, Ballynanty, Limerick, pleaded guilty to a number of charges arising from a seizure at his family home, just over 12 months ago. 

During the search, a loaded submachine gun, ammunition, cash and drugs were all recovered. 

Previously, at a sentencing hearing in the Limerick Circuit Court, Judge Colin Daly heard evidence relating to three separate offences to which Woodland has also pleaded guilty and has been sentenced for. 

The first related to the discovery of thousands of euro worth of stolen property from a car on May 6, 2021.

READ MORE: Clare-based garda among five defendants on trial for perverting the course of justice

Detective Garda Jerry O'Sullivan said another garda - Niall O'Connor - approached the vehicle parked in the car park of Barry's Shop in Ardnacrusha, County Clare after smelling cannabis. William Woodland was in the driver's seat while a woman was in the passenger seat. 

A search of the car revealed items that were stolen during two burglaries which had taken place just hours earlier in Adare and Rathkeale, both in County Limerick. These included a GHD straightener, makeup brushes, an iPhone 6 and two sets of car keys for a Ford Focus. As well as this, an axe, jimmy bar and balaclava were also located in the vehicle. 

Both families, who were victims of these burglaries, made statements, with one woman saying her teenage daughter became "paranoid" and "unable to sleep at night" in the aftermath. She later needed a psychotherapist, with her mother saying what this did to her was “a lot worse” than the property that was stolen. 

The offence, Judge Daly was told, happened in breach of the terms of a partially-suspended prison sentence which was imposed on Woodland in 2018 for a firearms offence. Det Garda O'Sullivan said a bench warrant was also issued for his arrest in July 2023 when he failed to appear in court for a sentencing hearing.

Detective Garda Shaun O’Hagan also gave evidence regarding offences which Woodland committed in 2023, while on bail. Both offences related to a woman who Woodland was previously in a relationship with for around 18 months.

The first incident took place at Cliona Park, Moyross, Limerick city on June 13, 2023 when the defendant bumped into his ex-partner. The court heard he ran after her, pinned her to the ground and attempted to steal her phone.

Photographs of her injuries were submitted to Judge Daly. These showed marks on her arm, grazed elbows, wrist abrasions, knee injuries and a bite mark on her buttocks.

The victim was attacked a second time - on September 18, 2023 -  at her family home on the northside of the city. Det Garda O'Hagan said, Woodland walked through the door and approached the victim “in a violent manner.”

The court heard that he was “red in the face” and accused her of being with someone else. The detective said Woodland “bear-hugged” the victim and demanded her phone, saying “f****** give it to me.” She threw herself to the ground and tried to run.  She said gave him her phone when she realised he had a knife.

During this attack, it was stated that Woodland called the victim a “dirty whore” and left multiple bite marks on her body. 

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she believed Woodland was going to kill her and that she would never be the same person again emotionally or physically.

The victim outlined the nature of their relationship saying it got to a point where she “didn't care” if he hurt her as she was accustomed to it. However, she highlighted one painful memory, where Woodland threw a necklace into the fire that contained her grandmother’s ashes.

Giving evidence on the submachine gun case, Garda Laura Lyons told Limerick Circuit Court that a search warrant was executed based on information that Woodland had cocaine at the property. 

She said as gardaí arrived, they observed the defendant trying to discard a gear bag from an upstairs window and that it was later established it contained a Makarov calibre Rak submachine-gun with a magazine inserted. There were 15 bullets in the magazine and a further 18 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of cocaine and cannabis were also found in the bag. 

Garda Lyons said a smaller quantity of drugs were located in the house, including in the bedroom of Woodland's mother. €1,000 in cash was also found during the search. In total, cannabis worth €3,346.46 and €2,583.98 of cocaine was seized. 

Prosecuting barrister Lili Buckley said the weapon and ammunition were sent for ballistic analysis and that this confirmed the submachine gun was “fully capable” of being fired both automatically and semi-automatically.

Being interviewed by gardaí following his arrest, Woodland initially said the firearm was his and that he had purchased it for €5,000 two days earlier. 

However, in a subsequent interview, the now 31-year-old said he was “minding” the gun for an unnamed person and had been paid €1,000 to do so. He admitted he had posted images and videos on Snapchat of him holding the gun.

Having heard the facts relating to the offences,  Judge Colin Daly remarked that the act of biting the victim on her rear was an act of “gross degradation." 

Commenting on the second assault, Judge Daly said this “barbaric” attack was both “revolting” and “sadistic.”

Before passing sentence, he said it was clear that Mr Woodland was involved in criminality to a “significant” degree.

In mitigation, the court heard that the Ballynanty native entered early guilty pleas and has a history of drug abuse but is remorseful for his crimes. He is currently in Portlaoise Prison. 

Judge Daly imposed a two-and-a-half year sentence for the possession of stolen goods charge. For the assault on his ex-partner and attempted theft of her phone, a separate two-and-a-half year sentence was imposed - to be served concurrently. 

A four-year sentence was imposed for the second assault while a six-year prison sentence was imposed for aggravated burglary. These are also to run concurrently with the earlier sentences. 

Following the seizure at Woodland’s family home, two seven year sentences were issued. Two separate two-year sentences were also imposed for the cannabis and cocaine finds. These will run consecutively to the six-year aggravated burglary charge.  

In total, Judge Colin Daly sentenced William Woodland to 13 years imprisonment but having considered the principle of proportionality and totality, he suspended the final 18 months.