David Thomas jailed for violent carjacking in Dublin

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

David Thomas received three years with one suspended at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 30 June 2016 for unlawful seizure of a car. He pleaded guilty to the charge. The offence took place at Shankill, Dublin, on 16 April 2014. The proceedings were reported on 1 July 2016.

Thomas dragged a driver from his car, then joined another man in assaulting him. They threatened to shoot the driver because he had seen their faces. After taking the car, they left it on the N11 near Jack White’s pub in Co Wicklow. The court heard that Thomas subsequently seized a van nearby after pulling its driver out.

The driver said he feared for his life. The court heard that he fled in a zigzag pattern to evade a possible shot, then sheltered in bushes until he heard the men leave.

For the van incident, Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court had already imposed three years with one suspended. Judge John Aylmer matched that sentence for the Shankill offence and directed that it run concurrently with the sentence Thomas was serving.

Garnet Orange SC, defending, characterised the spree as drunken and chaotic, saying the men were seeking transport. Det Garda Stephen Ryan accepted that neither vehicle was used in further crimes and said he did not believe the men had possessed a gun.