Teen who rammed garda car remanded for report

A teenager who rammed a garda patrol car with a stolen van has been remanded on bail for a pre-sentence probation report, by the Dublin Children’s Court.

The 17-year-old had been convicted of two charges - reckless endangerment of life and dangerous driving, which he had denied. The incident occurred in a residential area near his Clondalkin home, on May 29 last year.

Judge Hugh O’Donnell heard garda evidence identifying the teenager as the driver of the van which had been spotted driving dangerously in Clondalkin. There were 10 youths in the back of the van, which swerved onto the wrong side of the road, onto footpaths and crossed green areas as it was being pursued by the Ronanstown station garda patrol car, which was tracking it at a safe distance.

During the 10-minute pursuit, the youths who had been in the back of the van “pulled back its side doors and threw a bag of cement and a number of construction tools into the path of the patrol car”, garda Tom Griffin said.

Garda Peter Hayden, who had been the driver of the patrol car, said that the boy then crashed the van into a wall at which the passengers alighted and fled the scene.

On seeing the patrol car nearing him, the youth jumped back into the van and put it into reverse.

“After the van crashed, the driver alighted and saw me; then he got back into the van and reversed it into the patrol car causing damage to its front,” the garda said.

The gardaí then arrested the teenager who put up a violent struggle.

The teenager, claimed in evidence that he had been making his way home when he was arrested and denied having any involvement in the incident.

Judge O’Donnell said he was satisfied with the Garda evidence and convicted the teenager who had three previous convictions for road traffic offences for which he had been fined and had his licence endorsed last year.

The teenager has been out of mainstream education for three years and had started a new job within the last week, the court heard. Judge O’Donnell agreed to adjourn sentencing and granted bail to allow time for a welfare report on the boy to be furnished to the court.