A serial teenage offender has been sentenced to two years in St Patrick's Institution in Dublin for a litany of car offences and is to be sent forward to the Circuit Court for trial for allegedly racing through the city-centre on a stolen motorcycle.
Judge Geoffrey Browne was told at the Dublin Children's Court that the 16-year-old, who had 33 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to 34 charges of travelling in stolen cars, criminal damage, larceny, handling stolen goods, trespassing with intent, assault and skipping court.
These crimes, which the teenager admitted, were committed from November 2001 to October 2002 while he was residing at a non-secure residential care unit.
The court was also told that he had also been arrested four times in two months after he was given bail on November 11th last.
An outline of facts was heard on eight charges in which it is alleged that, while dangerously driving a stolen motorcycle without a helmet, he led gardaí on a high-speed, 10-minute chase through the north of the city-centre.
Judge Browne was told that on November 26th gardaí saw the teenager riding the motorcycle dangerously on Gardiner Street. When they took up pursuit, he sped away through red lights, on the wrong side of the road and on to footpaths, at 80 m.p.h.
At one stage it was alleged that he reached speeds of up to 100 m.p.h., and oncoming vehicles on Clonliffe Road had to swerve to avoid him. The motorcycle crashed into a pole on Belvedere Road and he ran away, but he was apprehended soon afterwards, it was alleged. For that incident he is facing eight charges for unlawful use of the motorcycle and several counts of dangerous driving. Due to its seriousness, Judge Browne held that the case should be sent to the Circuit Court for trial.
On the other 34 charges, Garda Maria Flynn, of Store Street station, said that the youth had been bailed in November with a final warning that further arrests would result in detention. He had been arrested four times after that for public order offences, for stealing cars and, most recently, on January 11th, for travelling in a stolen car.
The teenager had earlier been described as coming from a difficult family background, with much of his criminal behaviour caused by his relationship with his father, which had affected his mental state.
Judge Browne said he had been given a chance in November, but he had not taken it, and there was no other option than to impose a custodial sentence.