Jail for violent car-jacker

A man has been sentenced to three years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in two violent car-jackings committed on the same night in April 2014. David Thomas, aged 32, of Glenties Avenue, Finglas, Dublin, pleaded guilty to unlawful seizure of a vehicle at Shankill, Dublin. The court heard that Thomas and another man pulled the driver from his car, assaulted him, and threatened to shoot him after he witnessed their faces. The stolen vehicle was subsequently abandoned on the N11 near Wicklow. Thomas went on to forcibly remove a second driver from a van in the vicinity. Judge John Aylmer imposed a concurrent sentence, stating the Shankill incident was the more serious offence. The victim reported experiencing significant fear and psychological distress following the attack. The defence argued the incidents constituted a chaotic, alcohol-fuelled episode, with no actual firearm involved.