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Woman who set bus ablaze during Dublin riots tells judge to 'f**k off'
Summary
A woman who set fire to a bus during the 2023 Dublin riots, causing nearly €500,000 in damage, was sentenced to six years in prison. Leanne Kelly (34) told the judge to 'fuck off' and refused to provide a urine sample. She pleaded guilty to criminal damage after throwing a piece of cardboard, which she had set alight using a nearby burning garda car, onto the bus. The bus was empty but completely destroyed. Kelly, who was homeless and addicted to drugs at the time, was identified through 17,000 hours of CCTV footage. She had 66 previous convictions and was on bail for other offences. The court heard that the riots began after a stabbing incident earlier that day. Dublin Bus employees described the events as violent and threatening, with the company suffering a loss of about €1.9 million. Kelly's defence argued she had no political motivation and was under the influence of drugs. Judge Baxter noted Kelly's actions were 'gratuitous' and 'breathtaking' and that she fed into the 'mob mentality' of the riots.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman who set bus ablaze during Dublin riots tells judge to 'f**k off'. Charges or matters: criminal damage of a bus on O'Connell Bridge during the Dublin Riots on November 23, 2023. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 23, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 10 Incident
- 2025-12-16 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: criminal damage of a bus on O'Connell Bridge during the Dublin Riots on November 23, 2023 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Leanne Kelly (34) told Judge Martina Baxter to sentence her instead of putting the case back for a governor's report and urine analysis. "You're not getting any urines out of me," she told the judge. Judge Baxter went on to pass sentence on Kelly, of no fixed abode, who pleaded guilty to criminal damage of a bus on O'Connell Bridge during the Dublin Riots on November 23, 2023.
Places mentioned
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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