Man on drugs hijacked woman’s car after offer of help

A ‘Good Samaritan’ who stopped to assist a man on the side of the road could not have known that he was on bail for armed robbery and high on drugs — he responded to the woman’s offer of help by pulling out a screwdriver and hijacking her car.

Vincent Morey, aged 23, was given a total sentence of five years with the last 27 months suspended yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for the armed robbery, hijacking, and other crimes.

Judge Gerard O’Brien imposed that sentence on Morey, noting from the evidence of Detective Garda Mick Dolan that the crimes represented an escalation in his criminal behaviour.

Peter O’Flynn, defending, said the accused became addicted to prescription medication and cocaine but went on to develop an addiction to heroin. Det Garda Dolan said the heroin use only commenced shortly before the hijacking of the car in Grenagh in January.

A woman driving by Grenagh came across a man standing at the side of the road and stopped to see if he needed assistance. Morey produced a weapon and dragged her out of her car before driving away.

Morey, from Gurranabraher, was living at an address at Bweeng, north Cork, at the time of the offence on January 13.

He was on bail at the time for robbing a shop on Blarney Rd, Cork, on November 24, 2015.