Courts / Dublin / Report

Father pulled children from path of car driven by disqualified driver fleeing gardai

Date
2026-06-04
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A disqualified driver, Conor Warburton, narrowly avoided hitting two children in a double buggy while fleeing gardai in a stolen car. Warburton (36) was jailed for three years and disqualified from driving for ten years after pleading guilty to charges including endangerment, dangerous driving, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The incident occurred on May 9, 2023, when Warburton drove at high speed through a bus stop, narrowly missing the children and a garda who was about to exit a patrol car. The car had false registration plates and Warburton was not insured at the time. The pursuit lasted around 30 seconds over 800 meters before gardai lost sight of the car. Warburton has 66 previous convictions, including dangerous driving and no insurance. His defence highlighted addiction issues as the root of his offending, and he has been clean for seven months. Judge Orla Crowe noted the reckless and dangerous nature of his actions and the aggravating factors of his previous convictions and disqualification.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Father pulled children from path of car driven by disqualified driver fleeing gardai. Charges or matters: charges including endangerment, dangerous driving, unauthorised use of a vehicle, use of fraudulent registration plates and no insurance or driving licence. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Conor Warburton

Convicted Person

Charges: charges including endangerment, dangerous driving, unauthorised use of a vehicle, use of fraudulent registration plates and no insurance or driving licence (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Today, he was jailed for three years and disqualified from driving for ten years. Having considered his personal circumstances and mitigation, Judge Crowe imposed a four-year sentence with the final 12 months suspended for two years to incentivise his rehabilitation.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Address Area
  • Oliver Plunkett Road

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Sentence Theft

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