Courts / Dublin / Report

Teen car thief twice led gardai on dangerous chase

Summary

A 16‑year‑old boy, who cannot be named because he is a juvenile, was sentenced to two years' detention in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a series of high‑speed pursuits in suburban Dublin. He stole a Toyota from Tesco in Maynooth on 31 July 2023 and drove erratically, entering oncoming traffic and a shopping‑centre car park, forcing gardaí to leap over a barrier to avoid being hit. He was later arrested after abandoning the vehicle. Three months later, he stole an Audi, drove at over 160 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, broke a red light and was pursued again; he fled on foot. He pleaded guilty to multiple counts of endangerment, dangerous driving, taking a car without consent, driving without a licence or insurance, and possession of items used to steal a car. He has 13 prior convictions and has been detained in Oberstown juvenile centre since October.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Teen car thief twice led gardai on dangerous chase. Charges or matters: a range of charges in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today; two counts of endangerment, four counts of dangerous driving, one count of taking a car without the owner's consent, one count of failing to stop and one count of driving without a licence at various locations in western Dublin on July 31, 2023; failing to produce a driver's licence or certificate of insurance; endangerment, dangerous driving, taking a car without the owner's consent, driving without insurance and possessing items that were used to steal a car on October 27, 2023. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 31, 2023 Incident
• October 27, 2023 Incident
• July 31 Other
• 2024-05-10 Publication

Why: The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is a juvenile, drove on the wrong side of the road, went down dual carriage slipways into oncoming traffic and caused two gardaí to jump over a barrier to avoid being knocked down during the two incidents in July and October last year. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report