Thomas Stokes jailed over endangerment and criminal damage

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

Thomas Stokes was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 27 May 2020 to seven years’ imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions. The consecutive sentences were for endangerment during a high-speed pursuit and criminal damage in a separate incident.

Judge Karen O’Connor imposed four-and-a-half years for endangerment and two-and-a-half years for criminal damage. She said a consecutive sentence was not mandatory but was appropriate in this case.

Stokes pleaded guilty to two counts of endangerment, assaulting Garda Thomas Bialkowski and dangerous driving at Promenade Road, Dublin Port, and Cookstown Way, Tallaght. He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Limekiln Green, Crumlin, on 10 October 2014.

The pursuit ended at Cookstown Way in the early hours of 29 December 2018, when Stokes braked hard and crashed, causing a garda car to swerve into a wall. Garda Bialkowski suffered injuries to his teeth, eye, arm and shoulder; the car’s airbag caused the butt of his firearm to hit him in the mouth.

Stokes was arrested nearby. He had 171 previous convictions, including 88 for road traffic offences.