A boy who stole a double-decker bus in Dublin and took it on a 30-minute journey before turning himself in to the Gardaí has escaped jail time.
Dublin Juvenile Court heard that the 17-year-old boy had disappeared from a care unit when he stole the bus outside Go Ahead Ireland’s Ballymount headquarters on a date in August last year.
A six-month probationary bond was imposed.
He pleaded guilty to the bus robbery charge when he appeared before Judge Paul Kelly, who was provided with a pre-sentence probation report after an update period.
The court heard that the teenager, who had left his care facility in Cork, managed to start the bus.
He headed down Naas Road and walked for about 30 minutes before taking the bus back.
Defense lawyer Brian Keenan said the teenager “presented himself at Ballyfermot Garda Station”, reports RTE.
The charges for driving without a license or insurance were dropped and the defense confirmed there was a guilty plea for the theft of the bus.
The Director of Public Prosecutions ordered that the case not be referred to a higher court and Judge Kelly accepted jurisdiction.
Garda Padraig McCarthy said the teenager did not respond when he accused him of robbing the bus, adding that the youth had a previous offense of stealing a phone from a supermarket in County Cork.
When asked if he got away with that crime, the boy replied, “No, I got a previous conviction”. He added that he sold the phone. “I was stuck in Cork and trying to get to Dublin,” he explained, reports RTE.
The court heard that he is now in new accommodation in Dublin and is trying to learn a trade.
Earlier, the judge had granted the boy legal aid, telling him to “stay off the buses other than being a passenger”, reports RTE.
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