Joyriding teen rammed garda car four times

A then 14-year-old boy, who rammed a garda car four times, while joyriding, has been detained for seven months, by Judge Bryan Smyth at the Dublin Children’s Court.

The now 15-year-old boy, whose behaviour had spiralled out of control, had pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of the life of Garda Alan McCarthy, at Russell Avenue, Dublin 3, on August 12 last.

He also admitted unlawfully using a stolen car which was used to ram the Garda vehicle.

Garda Jennifer Gorman of Store Street Station told Judge Smyth that the boy had been “driving a stolen Mitsubishi Lancer. The Garda car tried to block him but he would not stop and came at the patrol car and rammed it four times.”

The stolen car was written off and €2,000 worth of damages was caused to the Garda car.

The north inner city Dublin boy also admitted a number of other offences, for breach of the peace, theft of a motorbike and travelling in a stolen car.

On August 31 last he pelted Dublin Fire Brigade men with stones while they were dealing with an incident.

“When gardaí approached him, he became extremely abusive and violent. He had to be restrained, tried to headbutt a Garda and lashed out,” the court was told.

While gardaí were trying to arrest a friend of the boy, on August 20 last, at North William Street, Dublin, the teen attempted to free the prisoner and screamed abuse at gardaí telling them: “I am going to fucking kill you.”

On July 6 last he was caught with a stolen motorbike, on Hope Avenue, Dublin 3. On the night of Christmas Day he was found trying to force a door of a fast food shop and on February 20 last, he was caught travelling as a passenger in a stolen car.

Defence solicitor Sarah Molloy said that the teen had been remanded in custody in March at his own request.

“He realised he was spiralling out of control and would pick up more charges if he stayed on the outside,” she said.

In mitigation she told the court that there had been family difficulties and the boy’s father, who attended the case, had found it hard to cope with him.

During that time he had started to associate with a group of other youths who had been involved in anti-social behaviour, Ms Molloy said.

She said that following on from his sentence in the Trinity House detention centre he and his family would receive assistance and guidance, from the institution’s prisoner step down programme. It was hoped that a training course would be available for him on his release.

Judge Smyth said that he took into account what was said on the boy’s behalf and said that he hoped the boy, who remained silent during the hearing, would learn to lead a more pro-social lifestyle.

In sentencing the boy to seven months’ detention, however he also said that he had to take into consideration the seriousness of the offences.