"Career Criminal" ambushed garda car transporting a prisoner and helped him escape

A man has pleaded guilty to facilitating the escape of a prisoner from lawful custody in Ballyfermot on March 6, 2012. Lee King, aged 27, was part of a group that ambushed a garda car transporting a man from Longford to Cloverhill Prison. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that when the vehicle stopped at traffic lights, the group opened the rear door and extracted the prisoner, who had a broken leg. During the incident, King punched one of the gardaí in the head before fleeing the scene. He has remained in custody since March 2012. His defence counsel noted he has eighty previous convictions but expressed an intention to reform and participate in community employment upon release. Judge Martin Nolan adjourned sentencing to March 26 for a determination on the appropriate penalty.