Courts / Meath / Report

Dublin man jailed for hijacking taxi which later crashed, causing death of teenage cousin

Date
2014-12-09

Stage
Sentence

Court
Wexford Circuit Criminal Court

Primary locality
Slane

County
Meath

Summary

Thomas McDonagh, aged 21, was jailed for three years after hijacking a taxi on 27 March 2012 in Dublin. He forced the driver to take him and his 16‑year‑old cousin Bernard McDonagh into the vehicle. The taxi later crashed near Slane Castle in County Meath, killing Bernard hours after the collision. McDonagh suffered serious injuries, including a broken spine and brain damage, and now has epilepsy and other medical problems. He was already on bail for a 2011 robbery and had a six‑year sentence for that offence. Judge Mary Ellen Ring suspended the last two years of a five‑year sentence on the condition that McDonagh engage with Probation Services after release. The sentence runs consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving. The court heard McDonagh apologized and expressed remorse, and noted his history of ten previous convictions, including robbery.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Dublin man jailed for hijacking taxi which later crashed, causing death of teenage cousin. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

March 27, 2012 Other
2014-12-09 Publication

Why: Thomas McDonagh was arrested six months later but told gardaí he could not remember anything about the night because of injuries he suffered himself. CNI source report

Case subjects

Thomas McDonagh

Convicted Person

Outcome: Today Judge Ring suspended the last two years of a five year sentence on condition that McDonagh engage with the Probation Services after his release.