Carl McGuinness jailed for nine years over vehicle and driving offences

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Carl McGuinness was jailed for nine years for offences involving vehicle theft, attempted theft and dangerous driving in Dublin between August 2024 and May 2025. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard he had 106 previous convictions, including 95 road traffic offences. Judge Martina Baxter also disqualified him from driving for ten years.

The court heard that McGuinness stole a rented car from a tourist near the Gresham Hotel and drove dangerously through the city centre, hitting a Dublin Bus before the car was found crashed and written off. In another incident, he tried to take a man’s car while armed with an axe. The judge said he showed “clear disdain” for other road users and backdated the ten-year sentence to May 2025, suspending its final year on conditions.