A MOTHER-of-three caught outside a burgled house with a carload of stolen property tried to blame her 10-year-old son.

Leona Moorehouse (30) and her husband James had their three young children with them when they were arrested at the scene, their Volkswagen Passat having run out of petrol.

The couple -- both convicted burglars -- had a stolen Play-Station, games and cameras in a car that looked like a "toyshop", a court heard.

The pair claimed they had only driven into the Wicklow farmyard to let their children -- aged 10, eight and four -- see the animals. Leona Moorehouse told investigating gardai her 10-year-old son Aaron "must have" run in and burgled the house when she wasn't looking. She described her son as a "lunatic" with ADHD.

Judge Murrough Connellan gave husband and wife a six-month suspended sentence each for trespassing and handling stolen property. He dismissed burglary charges against both, saying he had doubts about who was actually responsible for taking the goods.

They had denied all charges.

Bray District Court heard Michael Keegan was at his brother David's cottage in Enniskerry on April 28, 2008 when he came across the defendants in the yard. Leona Moorehouse, of Ballyogan Grove, Carrickmines, told him she was looking for petrol. He became suspicious and called a neighbour to block off the entrance with a jeep, then called his brother and the gardai.

Cat

David Keegan arrived and found his house ransacked and the property missing. He told gardai, who searched the accused's car.

Their son Aaron "protested" and most of the property was found under a rug under his seat. One of the two cameras was in a pocket on the driver's door. The accused initially claimed the camera was theirs, but pictures of Mr Keegan's girlfriend's cat were found on it.

Leona Moorehouse told gardai the family had been out looking for a riding school for their children and stopped off at the farm to show them "the chickens and baby sheep".

She denied all knowledge of the theft, saying her son must have done it.

"Aaron has ADHD, the child is a lunatic," she said. "Aaron must have slipped off and got the stuff. When we went to the farmer's yard, I didn't think there was much harm he could do. I don't allow any of my children into anyone's house to take property." James Moorehouse also denied having anything to do with the theft.

"I'm not blaming my son for taking it," he said. "If he did take it, it was wrong".

Judge Connellan said he did not accept that the child could have managed to take the property and hide it in the car without his parents seeing.

He bound the two accused to the peace for two years.

James Moorehouse's handling charge was adjourned for 10 months for a probation report.

The judge warned he was not ruling out a prison sentence.

aphelan@herald.ie

- Andrew Phelan