A teenage boy has escaped a prison sentence after leading gardaí on a high-risk chase from Dublin to Laois, during which he exceeded 200 km/h and drove against oncoming traffic on major roads.
The 17-yr-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was charged with endangerment, vehicle theft and 13 separate dangerous driving offences arising from events on April 21st last, when he drove repeatedly across all four lanes of the M50, reports Breaking News.
The young defendant had appeared before the Dublin Children’s Court for a preliminary hearing to decide where his case should be tried.
Judge Paul Kelly ruled that the seriousness of the matter meant it was unsuitable for the Children’s Court and agreed with the Director of Public Prosecutions that it should be sent to the Circuit Court, which carries wider sentencing authority, reports Breaking News.
He had remarked: “It’s an absolute miracle no one was killed or seriously harmed,”, reports Breaking News.
In October, the teenager entered guilty pleas to charges of endangerment of life and stealing the car, and Judge Kelly issued an order transferring the case to the higher court for sentencing in December, reports Breaking News.
On Monday, Judge Kelly was told that the accused received concurrent sentences of two years and 18 months, both suspended for two years, with the order due to commence later this month.
The remaining dangerous driving charges before the Children’s Court have been adjourned until February 3rd next, reports Breaking News.
Earlier proceedings heard Garda Aaron Webb describe the evidence and present video footage, largely taken from garda patrol car dashcams.
He said the 2012 Toyota Corolla involved had been stolen within the previous 24 hours in Kilkenny and was detected in Dublin at about 7pm on Easter Monday at the Chapelizod bypass, reports Breaking News.
Video footage showed the car travelling at 127 km/h as it approached and passed the Criminal Courts of Justice on the wrong side of the road before continuing onto Parkgate Street.
The vehicle then drove onto the Luas tracks near the quays, passed the Heuston Station stop platform and continued onto St John’s Road West, where it reached 137 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, reports Breaking News.
It later sped up to 160 km/h on the N4 before entering the M50, forcing another motorist onto the hard shoulder.
Between Junctions 7 and 9, the teenager repeatedly crossed all four lanes of the motorway, reports Breaking News.
He also managed to evade garda attempts to box in the vehicle during the pursuit.
The court was told that he was travelling at 156 km/h in a 50 km/h zone as he entered the N7 at Citywest and narrowly avoided crashing into two other vehicles, reports Breaking News.
Garda Webb said the boy, who had two teenage passengers, crossed four lanes before colliding with a van in a “side swipe” while travelling at 160 km/h at Rathcoole. The van driver suffered whiplash and required hospital treatment.
The teenager continued driving the heavily damaged Corolla and reached a speed of 203 km/h when the car suffered a blowout. Despite one tyre having “disintegrated”, he continued and was recorded travelling at 177 km/h, reports Breaking News.
The court heard that after passing Kildare Village, he crossed onto the wrong side of the N7 and continued driving against traffic for 12 minutes, covering 21 kilometres.
Garda units were “shadowing” him from the correct lanes. Near Junction 15 in Co Laois, officers deployed a stinger device to puncture the tyres, but the car continued at speed, with footage showing sparks coming from the vehicle before it eventually stopped, reports Breaking News.
A Garda armed support unit was also involved in the operation.
The teenager had no previous convictions and told the court he was pepper-sprayed after the car stopped, describing a “stand-off” with gardaí, reports Breaking News.
His solicitor, Brian Keenan, said the boy, who attended court with family members, had experienced trauma during his childhood, including an early bereavement, and had engaged with mental health services.
Mr Keenan said the teenager understood he could have lost his life and endangered others during the chase, and that he was remorseful, reports Breaking News.
The court also heard that after his arrest, the boy made admissions and apologised for placing the lives of others at risk.
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