High-speed pursuit teen remanded in custody pending sentence

A 13-year-old Dublin boy, who set fire to a schoolgirl’s hair and later led gardaí on a highly dangerous 40-minute traffic pursuit, was yesterday remanded in custody for a further week pending sentence.

The boy, who is on the educational level of a child aged six, had pleaded guilty at the Children’s Court to driving the stolen car and dangerous driving, at about 4 am on October 25 last.

He also admitted assault causing harm by setting fire to a teenage girl’s as they were travelling on a bus, he boarded at Malahide Road, in Artane, in Dublin, on a date in October 2007, when he was aged 12.

He had been remanded in custody three weeks ago after the court heard that on February 22 last, while on bail, he was caught “red handed” after leading gardaí on another high-speed pursuit while driving a stolen 4X4.

The alleged 30-minute chase involved a Garda helicopter and saw two cars rammed, it has been alleged.

Judge Conal Gibbons was told today that directions from the DPP were still awaited in relation to the boy’s latest arrest.

The boy, who was accompanied by his family, was further remanded in custody for one week for sentencing for the offences he has admitted and for the directions to be given to the court in relation to the recent alleged crimes.

Garda Noel Murray of Swords station had told the court earlier that on October 25 last, “a vehicle driven by the accused failed to stop”.

“The driver took off at speed in a grey Mazda and made his way on to the N1 north bound, and drove erratically from side to side, went through a red traffic light and straight onto a roundabout.”

He said the boy “had no regard for the safety of others”. The teen continued driving to Balbriggan, turned and came back to the Coolock area where after the 40-minute chase, he abandoned the car.

During the earlier assault incident, the victim, a teenage schoolgirl had her hair set on fire briefly by the boy who was sitting behind her on a bus.

The court was told that the girl did not suffer serious injury but her hair had been singed and she was left upset by the incident. She now refused to take that bus even though it is the most direct route for her to travel home from school.

The boy also admitted being part of a group of youths who tried to steal a car from a house in Donaghmede in north Dublin, in March last year.

Over recent months, the court has heard that the boy had been associating with older youths involved in criminal behaviour, was trying to impress them and some educational assessments had put him on the level of a six-year-old.

Previously, in the prosecution, another judge had noted that an assessment report on the boy had stated that he could be “a risk to himself and others in the community".

Earlier, the case heard about his attitude towards joyriding which he did not believe to be dangerous, thinking that the youths he knew involved in it were good drivers. Young people killed in car crashes, he felt, were “bad drivers”.

Defence solicitor Mr John Bermingham has said that the boy had been psychologically assessed when he was held in custody previously. “He has a reading age of six and a mathematical age of nine and little insight into his offending behaviour.”

Evidence on the boy’s latest arrest was given by Garda Damien Mangan earlier this month. He had said that the boy “entered a green area where children were playing”. Children had to run to avoid being hit, he had also said.

Garda Inspector Colm Healy, Coolock station, had told the court he had visited the teenager at his home a number of times beforehand. It had been made clear to the boy that he had to adhere to his bail conditions.

“I spoke to him about how serious it is while he is on bail, that the ball was in his court and he is making the decision, not the gardaí. He has blatantly disregarded that,” he said.

He said he feared the boy would kill himself or other people.

“I have received information from community leader, they are very concerned about him, he would have a reputation in his area,” he had also told the court.