Sean Dowdall sentenced for car theft and false imprisonment

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

Sean Dowdall, 22, received a two-and-a-half-year sentence for car theft and false imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence. The proceedings were reported on 8 July 2016.

Dowdall pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and car theft. The offences took place at Esso on Ushers Quay on 11 February 2016. He was disqualified from driving at the time.

The report said Dowdall took the car after its driver went into the shop to pay for fuel, with her daughter in the back seat. The passenger struggled to remove her seatbelt and open the door before jumping from the moving car onto a busy road. A taxi swerved to avoid hitting her. According to a victim impact report, she suffered cuts and bruises and continued to wake from nightmares.

The car was recovered a short time later. Dowdall later told gardaí he had taken it to Ballyfermot to sell it to repay a debt. He admitted taking the car but said he did not know the passenger was in the back seat and was driving slowly when she jumped out.

The report said Dowdall turned around and saw the passenger before driving off. Judge Martin Nolan said Dowdall could have left the car when he realised someone was in the back, but did not.

Defence counsel Oisin Clarke BL said Dowdall had addictions to drink, drugs and gambling and a tendency to go on binges. He said the incident lasted no more than a few seconds and Dowdall would have jumped from the car if the passenger had not done so first.