Teen remanded over hijacking likened to 'The Wire'

A 17-year-old boy arrested over a car hi-jacking of a retired garda, which was likened by judge to a scene from the hit American hit TV programme 'The Wire', was remanded on continuing bail today.

At the Dublin Children’s Court Judge Ni Chonduin Aingeal agreed to a request from the State to put the case back until next month for the book of evidence to be completed. The north Dublin teen, who was accompanied to court by his father, was remanded on continuing bail.

In June, then presiding Judge Clare Leonard had held that the case was too serious to be kept in the juvenile court and should be sent to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

“You might have been watching an episode of 'The Wire',” Judge Leonard had said on the boy’s previous court appearance on June 8 last.

The north Dublin teenager is charged with seizing the former garda’s BMW car, at Clonkeen Road, in Portlaoise, Co Laois, on January 27 last. He also faces a second charge for stealing an Audi A6, and two counts of dangerous driving in the Tallaght area, in Dublin, on the same date.

In an outline of the evidence Garda Alan Dunford had said that the teen and a second defendant, who is facing prosecution separately, had bought a car in Dublin and drove it to Portlaoise where it was then burned out, on the N7 road.

“A motorist passed and they flagged him down. It is alleged that the co-accused had a steel bar, the defendant leaned in and grabbed the keys of the car.”

According to Gda Dunford, the injured party stated that he was a retired garda, prompting the accused to several times urge his accomplice to shoot him.

The retired garda got out of the BMW car which was allegedly driven away at speed by the 17-year-old.

Gda Dunford, of Portlaoise station, said they abandoned the BMW a few miles on and made their way to a panel-beaters where it was alleged they stole the Audi. It was also alleged they stopped at a service station in Kill, in Co. Kildare, filled up with diesel which they did not pay for and then continued towards Dublin.

Garda Clare Malone of Tallaght said she encountered the car on the Fortunestown Road in Dublin.

She alleged that she followed in her patrol car and signalled to the teenager to stop however, he raced off “at top speed” and repeatedly drove on the wrong side of the road, in busy traffic, along the Tallaght by-pass.

The car allegedly driven by the teenager was stopped after it was blocked by a number of garda vehicles. Gda Malone had said that it was “pure luck” that nobody was injured in the chase.