Man who drove wrong way down M4 sentenced

A drug addict who drove a stolen car the wrong way down the M4 Lucan bypass causing six cars, including a garda patrol car, to "take evasive action" has been given a three year suspended sentence.

John Paul O Connor, aged 25, of Harelawn Avenue, Clondalkin had 49 previous convictions, 16 of which involved the unlawful taking of cars and dangerous driving offences. He had been disqualified from driving for five years at the time of the offence.

He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the unlawful taking of a Mazda 323 and endangerment on the M4 on July 1, 2004.

Judge Katherine Delahunt said that reports from the probation services indicated that O'Connor had started to turn his life around and told him the "court will give you a chance to come through on your intentions to stay away from crime."

She suspended the sentence but warned O'Connor that he must keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years or he will be brought back before the courts and jailed for three years.

Garda Ernie Henderson told Ms Anne-Marie Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that the Mazda was stolen from Liffey Valley car park on June 30 and spotted by gardai the next day in the Cellbridge area.

Gardaí followed the car to try and identify the driver and passengers and a short time later indicated the driver to pull over. O'Connor ignored the request and took off in the direction of Maynooth travelling at speeds in excess of 80 mph.

He drove the car the wrong way around two roundabouts before travelling the wrong way down a slip road onto the M4 Lucan bypass, travelling in excess of 90 mph.

Gda Henderson said that three cars had to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision before O'Connor continued to drive on the wrong side of the motorway towards Dublin city centre.

He then turned off the motorway at Cellbridge where he drove directly at the garda patrol car and gardaí had to pull the car into a verge to avoid a head collision.

O'Connor then went back onto to the M4 again travelling on the wrong side of the road where a van had to pull onto a grass verge and another car into the hard shoulder to avoid an accident.

A short time later he pulled the Mazda onto a hard shoulder, where he, another man and two girls got out and ran into nearby hedges.

Gardaí chased O'Connor, having identified him as the driver and later caught and arrested him.

Gda Henderson said that O'Connor's previous convictions dated back to July 1999 and he had been disqualified from driving for five years in 2001.

Mr Luigi Rea BL, defending, told Judge Delahunt that his client's parents had died within a year of each other in 1999 and 2000 and his mother's death was particularly tragic having been killed in a house fire.

He said that this "particular escapade" was on account of his client "going wild" after the death of his mother.

Mr Rea said that if the tragic deaths of his parents hadn't happened O'Connor may have sorted his life out earlier and not continued to commit crime into his twenties.

He said O'Connor had started to taking drugs in an effort to help him deal with his grief.