Wexford teen who stole two cars and threatened to kill gardaí has ‘made huge strides’ since offences
Wexford PeopleA teenager who admitted a series of serious offences, including the theft of two cars, threatening to kill members of An Garda Síochána and criminal damage, has been placed under the supervision of the Probation Service.
The juvenile appeared before Gorey District Court, where Judge John Cheatle heard that the offences arose from two separate incidents.
The teenager, who cannot be identified because of his age, entered guilty pleas to a number of charges, including threats to kill, unauthorised taking of vehicles and criminal damage.
The first incident occurred in December 2024. The court heard that another young teenager returned home after spending time at the accused’s house. His mother noticed that her son appeared intoxicated and had been smoking cannabis.
After speaking with the accused’s parents, the boy’s mother left the property. The court heard that her son subsequently received a series of threatening messages from the accused.
Later that night, at approximately 3am, the accused went to the boy’s home and challenged him to come outside and fight.
The court heard that the two teenagers are no longer friends and have blocked each other on social media.
The second incident occurred on April 22, 2025, where the accused had stolen a car from a housing estate which was crashed near Oylegate.
The teenager then stole a second vehicle, which was driven through the Enniscorthy area before failing to stop and colliding with a van.
The court heard that both vehicles sustained significant damage.
Following his arrest, the accused made a series of threats towards members of An Garda Síochána, including threats to kill or seriously harm them. He also threatened to burn down the home of a garda sergeant and made threats against the children of other gardaí while being charged.
Lana Doherty, solicitor for the accused, expressed the apologies of the teenager who was said to regret his actions and now understand the distress caused the owners of the vehicles taken.
The solicitor stated in the past the accused would lash out verbally and has worked hard to improve this by taking emotional regulation courses and anger management courses.
The defendant has also undertaken a business course to establish a business as a sole trader.
The solicitor commended the hard work of the new 17 year-old by stating he has “shown a level of foresight as a child that most adults before this court wouldn’t show.”
A probation report had but the boy at a slightly high risk of re-offending but stated the Probation Service are willing to continue working with him and provide access to interventions to desists from further offending.
Judge Cheatle questioned whether the report fully reflected the progress made by the young man, noting that it described him as dismissive of the damage caused. Which the Judge remarked does not seem to be the case.
Judge Cheatle commended the teenager for making “huge strides” since the offences, observing that the majority of the charges stemmed from a single day of offending.
The court placed the teenager on a 12-month probation supervision bond, with a condition that he engage with a community-based drugs initiative aimed at reducing his cannabis use.