Courts / Dublin / Report

Escaped prisoner hid in wheelie bin

Summary

Liam Deegan, 27, an escaped prisoner from Mountjoy, was sentenced to five years after a night‑time chase on the M50. He abandoned his Volkswagen Passat in a garage forecourt, then pulled over at 2 am when Garda John Ryan ordered him to stop. Deegan reversed, performed a U‑turn across three lanes, and drove the wrong way down the motorway. A Garda helicopter detected heat from a wheelie bin where Deegan hid. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to endangerment between junctions 7 and 9 on the M50. The court noted his 39 prior convictions and his apology to Gardaí. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on strict terms, requiring Deegan to engage with the Probation Service for 12 months upon release. No injuries occurred during the pursuit. The case was prosecuted by Garret Baker BL and defended by Niall Storan BL.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Escaped prisoner hid in wheelie bin. Charges or matters: endangerment between junction 7 and 9 on the M50 on April 22, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• April 22, 2017 Incident
• 2019-02-13 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report