Courts / Meath / Report

Man hijacked taxi which later crashed and caused death of teenage cousin

Summary

In 2012, Thomas McDonagh, aged 21, hijacked a taxi on Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore, using force or threat of force. His cousin, Bernard McDonagh, 16, was also in the vehicle. After the hijacking, the taxi crashed into another car near Slane Castle, County Meath. Bernard died from his injuries hours later; Thomas suffered serious injuries, including a broken spine and brain bleeding, and now has epilepsy and other medical issues. The incident was reported to Gardaí, who described the hijackers and the taxi. Thomas was arrested six months later, admitted the hijacking, apologized, and expressed remorse. He has ten prior convictions, including robbery, and was remanded in custody for sentencing on December 9. The court adjourned sentencing to await guidelines on hijacking cases. The case is pending sentencing.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man hijacked taxi which later crashed and caused death of teenage cousin. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 27, 2012 Other
• December 9 Adjournment
• 2014-11-17 Publication

Why: Judge Mary Ellen Ring adjourned sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in order to await guidelines on dealing with hijacking cases. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report