Two men jailed for driving over bonnet of garda car during crime spree in Cork and Kerry

The two were jailed by Judge Helen Boyle for a total of five years with the last six months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court

Regarding the ramming of the garda car the judge said: 'It showed a complete disregard for life and limb. To be engaged in conduct you were in it is fortunate you did not kill or seriously injure someone. You could have been here on a manslaughter charge.' File picture: Larry Cummins

A garda car was rammed with a stolen car outside a restaurant and it then swung around and drove at the patrol car again, literally driving over the bonnet putting it out of action on the occasion.

In a spree of offences they also carried out a robbery of a shop at Belgooley, County Cork – an offence that was described as terrifying. The judge added that it must have been terrifying for staff and customers at the shop to see two masked raiders arriving – one of them carrying a knife.

Judge Helen Boyle said while gardaí present were shook up by the incident outside the Raj restaurant at Kerrypike it was fortunate that none of them was injured.

These were among the criminal incidents to which two men pleaded guilty as they were jailed by Judge Helen Boyle for a total of five years with the last six months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. While the charges against each man were not identical in respect of the various incidents the judge did not differentiated between them in terms of the parts they played in their rampage.

26-year-old Stephen Coughlan of 67 Maulbaun, Passage West, Cork, and 33-year-old Brian Keane, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to all the charges against them at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Barristers Mahon Corkery and Paula McCarthy submitted that the two men had difficult circumstances, addiction problems but had pleaded guilty and co-operated with the investigation.

Judge Boyle said of the shop robbery: “The fear and alarm to the persons in the shop must have been serious as two men arrived with their faces covered, one of them armed with a knife. Undoubtedly it was a terrifying experience and it took place as part of a crime spree.” 

As for the ramming of the garda car the judge said of this endangerment: “It showed a complete disregard for life and limb. To be engaged in conduct you were in it is fortunate you did not kill or seriously injure someone. You could have been here on a manslaughter charge.” 

Detective Garda Michelle O’Leary described how some of the stolen cars were later found burnt out. A Toyota Hilux was stolen that day at Kilnaglory, Ballincollig, and later set on fire at Upper Fairhill.

Total charges

Other charges related to March 1, 2024, at The Raj Indian restaurant car park at Kerrypike, the most serious of which was one of endangerment by causing a substantial risk of death or serious injury to another person. 

Garda Brian White was exiting the vehicle attempting to carry out his duty, when there was a ramming that caused him to take evasive action, and forced the car sideways as the defendants drove over the front wing of it to escape.

There were multiple other offences including theft of a car at Scartglen, Castleisland, County Kerry, burglary at Manning’s supermarket, Glanmire, County Cork, stealing cars at Maryborough Hill, Douglas, Coolroe Meadows, Ballincollig, Laurel Hill, Monkstown, The Finisk, Rivervalley, Mallow, The Funschion, Rivervalley, Mallow, Monee, Mourneabbey, Mallow, Castlewood, Little Island, and stealing a trailer/horsebox at Park Farm, Passage West.

There were five burglaries at Aghadoe, Killarney, County Kerry, on February 4, 2024. In Kanturk they rammed side door of a food store before burgling the premises.

Another car was stolen at Sluggera Cross, Whitechurch, on March 3, 2024, and driven at Thomas Davis Street in another confrontation with gardaí and there was criminal damage to three garda cars and a parked car belonging to a motorist. The stolen car contained stolen property at that location including €1,900 worth of cigarettes and tobacco, on March 3.

Apologies

Judge Boyle said that across the various incidents in this crime spree they showed blatant disregard for members of the public and members of An Garda Síochána.

Coughlan wrote a letter of apology saying he knew that what he did was wrong, he hoped everyone affected was okay and he was really sorry. Keane also apologised.

Coughlan had 250 previous convictions including 46 for stealing cars. Judge Boyle noted from a background report that he was addicted to stealing cars.

Keane had 42 previous convictions, including three for robbery and a significant previous conviction for a serious assault in Kerry, for which he was given a sentence of 10 years.