Jury acquits Carlow man accused of ramming garda patrol car
The Wicklow PeopleA Carlow man has been found not guilty of endangerment and criminal damage, following the first trial of 2026 at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court, which heard evidence from gardaí about an alleged ramming incident involving a patrol car on a rural road in February 2023.
Dylan Byrne (27), with an address at Hacketstown, Co Carlow, appeared for trial after entering a plea of not guilty to one count of endangerment and one count of criminal damage.
The first witness for the prosecution was Garda Darren Kelly of Avoca Garda Station.
He told the court that while working at Shillelagh Garda Station, a one man station where he worked between 2020 and 2025, he was on patrol on the evening of February 20, 2023.
Gda Kelly said that he noticed two vehicles parked in a rural layby. He told the court that one vehicle, which was parked facing him, suddenly drove straight towards him with its lights on full beam, before speeding off down the rural road. Gda Kelly added that he did not see who was driving the first vehicle.
Counsel for the prosecution, James Kelly BL, noted that Gda Kelly reversed into a small ditch in order to avoid the first vehicle.
Dylan Byrne (27), with an address at Hacketstown, Co Carlow, leaving Bray Courthouse.
The court then heard that the second vehicle reversed into Gda Kelly’s patrol car, ramming it further into the ditch and causing damage to the vehicle.
Gda Kelly said he believed that the driver of the second vehicle was Dylan Byrne, stating that he saw the accused turn his head and that he saw his beard and dark hair.
The court heard that Mr Byrne was known to Gda Kelly, with Mr Kelly BL stressing that this was not in a negative context.
He explained that, as he policed a small rural catchment area, he was familiar with local residents who appeared on PULSE, the Garda Síochána national computer system used to record incidents, intelligence and personal details related to policing matters.
Following the incident, Gda Kelly said the patrol car was damaged and that the automatic handbrake prevented him from driving away. The court heard that he contacted his sergeant and requested that someone meet him at Shillelagh Garda Station before he limped the vehicle back.
Photographs of the damage sustained to the Hyundai vehicle were then shown to the jury.
The court was told that the vehicle used to reverse into the patrol car was found burned out several hours later. Gardaí recovered a VIN number from the chassis and investigations revealed that the vehicle was registered to Mr Byrne.
During cross examination, barrister Eoin Gallagher for the defence, instructed by Michael O’Connor, told the court that his client had sold the vehicle several days prior to the incident.
Mr Gallagher BL said that while the defence accepted Gda Kelly’s account of what occurred, they maintained that Mr Byrne did not own or drive the vehicle on the night in question.
The court heard that Gda Kelly believed Mr Byrne was driving the car, with Mr Gallagher stating that it was not the role of a garda to decide whether an accused person was guilty or innocent.
The defence asked whether gardaí attempted to obtain CCTV from the council yard where the vehicle was found burned out.
Gda Kelly told the court that he spoke with the man who reported the fire, who said there was no CCTV available. Mr Gallagher questioned whether the man was a council worker or an ordinary concerned citizen.
Mr Gallagher further questioned Gda Kelly about lighting conditions in the area, stating that there would have been little natural light at that time of night.
The court was told that during questioning, Mr Byrne informed gardaí that he was at home with his girlfriend and young child at the time of the incident.
He said that he had sold the car for €3,000 to a man in Wexford.
The barrister for the defence asked whether, given the level of violence involved in the incident, further investigation should have been carried out to determine whether his client was capable of such actions.
The second witness to testify was Detective Kavanagh of Baltinglass Garda Station. She told the court that she observed damage to the patrol car and that Gda Kelly informed her he had obtained a partial registration. She also observed skid marks and broken glass at the scene of the alleged endangerment.
During interview, Mr Byrne informed gardaí that he did not require a solicitor. He provided background information on his employment, stating that he was on social welfare but also carried out paving work and bought and sold cars.
He told gardaí that he was disqualified from driving for a period of 12 years and later stated, “you’re lying, garda,” when the allegations of endangerment were put to him.
During a search of his home in Hacketstown, gardaí recovered an iPhone and car keys for an Alfa Romeo.
The court heard that no expert forensic analysis was carried out on the patrol car during the investigation.
The final witness to give evidence was Mr Byrne. He told the sitting of Wicklow Circuit Court that gardaí were not polite to him during interview and alleged that the recording device was turned off while threats were made against his family.
The accused claimed that gardaí threatened to harass his girlfriend’s salon, which she owns near the garda station.
Mr Byrne told the court that he later recalled that his neighbour may have CCTV footage but that he did not mention this at the beginning of the investigation. He said that gardaí informed him that he had received an alibi warning.
Counsel for the defence and prosecution gave their closing arguments to the jury. Judge Patrick Quinn then delivered his charge to the jury.
The jury deliberated until late Wednesday evening last week before returning a verdict of not guilty on both counts on Thursday afternoon.