Teen driver of stolen car placed on probation

A 14-year-old boy, who was the driver of a stolen 4X4 which led gardaí on a high-speed traffic pursuit which ended when he crashed into another vehicle has been placed on supervised probation for 12 months.

The Children’s Court had heard that the then 13-year-old boy, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, drove across greens in residential areas, broke red lights and sped on the wrong side of a road as he was chased by several patrol cars and a garda helicopter, on February 22 last.

The teenager is currently serving a custodial sentence in the Finglas Children’s Centre, a juvenile detention facility in north Dublin, and is due to be released in March next year, for other motoring offences and assault.

Judge Clare Leonard today imposed a 12-month probation supervisory bond on the teen. This means that the boy must follow directions of his probation officer. Otherwise, the case could be brought back to court which could impose an alternative sentence including another detention sentence.

The teenager had pleaded guilty to driving the stolen 4X4, dangerous driving and criminal damage in connection with the chase.

Garda Damien Mangan had said reports had been received of incidents of dangerous driving in the Darndale area, in north Dublin.

He said the teenager, who had seven prior convictions, drove through a green area at Snowdrop Walk and then did a U-turn. He drove across another green and continued towards the Malahide Road.

“As he approached the Malahide Road he entered a green area, crossed it and went onto the Malahide Road, through two sets of lights; one was red, the other was amber," he said.

The teenager sped along the N32 and broke another red light at a junction with Clonshaugh Road.

The boy then veered on to the wrong side of the road causing on-coming traffic to take “evasive action to avoid being hit by the stolen jeep”.

At the M1/M50 roundabout the teenager encountered traffic which had been backed up at which pointed he steered on to the wrong side of the road and collided with an on-coming car causing about €560 worth of damage.

Judge Leonard had noted that the boy was on bail awaiting sentences for his earlier crimes at the time of the pursuit. She had also said it was “fortunate that no one was killed”.

Earlier this year when the boy was sentenced over another car chase the court had heard: “He has a reading age of six and a mathematical age of nine and little insight into his offending behaviour.”