Convicted drug dealer given five-year sentence for high-speed chase

A convicted drug dealer who overturned a stolen car after loosing control of it during a high speed garda chase has been given a five year sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Jeffrey Finnegan (aged 28) of Rathvilley Drive, Finglas, received a six year sentence in 2000 when he was 19-years-old after he was caught holding cocaine and ecstasy worth an estimated £150,000 for another person.

He has 47 other previous convictions, mainly for road traffic and public order offences, and was disqualified from driving at the time of this offence. He had also a number of convictions for assaulting a garda.

Judge Delahunt heard that Finnegan had stolen two CDs from Tescos in a Finglas shopping centre and had attacked a security garda who had tried to apprehend him.

Finnegan intially ran away from the security guard but when he chased after and caught him, the accused used the handle of a screwdriver to hit the man under the arm. He was on bail for driving the stolen car at the time.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a stolen car, dangerous driving and no insurance on November 1, 2005 and to assault causing harm and burglary on December 16, 2005.

Judge Delahunt said that a probation report before the court indicated that Finnegan was at high risk of re-offending but noted that he had made some attempts to rehabilitate and come off drugs.

She suspended the last 12 months of the sentence on condition that Finnegan be of good behaviour for two years upon his release from prison.

Garda Conan Fitzpatrick told Mr Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that a Honda Prelude stolen from outside the owner's home on November 1, 2005 was spotted by gardai at 5.20 that same morning performing a U-turn at Ferndale Avenue, on Finglas. The car didn't have its lights on even though it was dark still.

Finnegan, the driver then refused to stop when ordered to do so by gardai and continued to speed away at about 80 mph, ignoring a yield sign and driving down the wrong side of the road.

He momentarily lost control after the car hit a kerb and veered across the road, colliding with a lamppost but continued and broke a red light, again driving on the wrong side of the road.

Garda Fitzpatrick said although there was little traffic that morning, one car had to swerve to avoid collision with the Prelude.

Finnegan again lost control of the car and it overturned landing on its roof. Gardaí immediately arrested him, and although he gave a false name, he was recognised later at the garda station as Jeffrey Finnegan.

Garda Fitzpatrick agreed with Mr Sean Gillane BL, defending, that Finnegan co-operated with the gardai after his arrest and as the case progressed through the courts. He accepted that Finnegan had been abusing drugs at the time, particularly cocaine.

Mr Gillane told Judge Delahunt that Finnegan had been working as a machinist with a tool fabricator company but started abusing alcohol and drugs when he lost his job there. He didn't "conquer these difficulties" while serving his prison sentence and came to the attention of gardai again upon his release.

He said that Finnegan has started to seek help with a drug treatment centre and he retains the support of his mother, who herself works for the local drug support group.

Mr Gillane said Finnegan spent a large amount of his early 20s in prison because of the criminal activity he engaged in as a youth and didn't do what he could have to rehabilitate himself before his release but had now started to try and deal with his problems.