Two teenage boys already charged with motoring offences have been sentenced to 17 months in St Patrick's Institution for separate burglary and criminal damage offences, by Judge E. Gerald Furlong at the Dublin Children's Court.
On January 13th last, teenager A, a 16-year-old boy, was charged with the unlawful taking and using of a car without the owner's consent. Teenager B, also 16, had already been charged with unlawful carriage in a car without its owner's consent.
Insp Tony Gallagher told the court yesterday that some 80 statements had been taken and it was expected that a file would be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions later this week. It was expected that further charges would be put to teenager A only.
Two weeks ago, teenager A had been charged with criminal damage and burglary of a house in Slane on October 15th, 2001. He was yesterday charged with trespassing in a private car-park in the city centre on December 30th and for failing to comply with the directions of a garda to move on after he had been found loitering in the city centre.
Yesterday, Judge Furlong was told the boy had pleaded guilty to these criminal damage, burglary and public order charges.
On January 20th, teenager B was charged with the same burglary and criminal damage offences as his co-accused and he also pleaded guilty to these charges yesterday. Another charge for an offence on April 18th last was also put to the boy yesterday which he also admitted. Garda Damien Murphy said the boy travelled as a passenger in a stolen car which was involved in a brief high speed chase before it crashed into two telephone boxes.
Sgt John Sherlock said the two boys had travelled from Dublin to Slane, Co Meath in a van with other culprits.
They went to the rear of an unoccupied house and threw a brick through a glass sliding door. The house alarm was activated and they left the area but were later arrested in Ashbourne.