Gardaí believe a serial offender with a history of convictions for chaotic crimes was behind the theft of a car that resulted in a major security alert on Monday because a baby was in the back of the vehicle.
The suspect, a Dubliner in his late 40s, has committed almost identical crimes in the past, stealing cars from roadsides or car parks when the owners stepped out of them momentarily.
However, gardaí strongly suspect he did not realise there was a five-month-old girl was in the back of the car he stole in Dublin’s north inner city this week.
The infant was in the back of the silver Nissan Qashqai which was parked on Mountjoy Square West at about 1.50pm while her mother briefly stepped out of the vehicle. Gardaí believe the thief quickly realised the child was in the back and decided to abandon the car just 600 metres from where it was taken.
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The car, with the child still in it, was found parked on North Richmond Street in Dublin 1 shortly after 4pm by gardaí and the baby was reunited with her parents soon after.
The incident had promoted gardaí to issue a Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) alert. There are sent to the media in an attempt to generate nationwide publicity when a child has been abducted or if there is a serious risk to the health and welfare of a child that cannot be located.
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However, the alert was cancelled on Monday afternoon after the baby girl was found safe and well, though gardaí stressed that the incident was a serious one and a significant criminal investigation is taking place.
Gardaí were on Tuesday searching for the suspect, who is said to lead a transient lifestyle, and called to a number of locations looking for him. He has spent periods of his life with no fixed address.
The man, who has previously resided at a property in the north inner city, has a history of serious drug addiction and has spent time in prison. He has convictions for car theft and stealing money from people during bogus car sales.
Some of his crimes have been opportunistic while others have been pre-planned. In other cases he has handled stolen vehicles and sold them, resulting in the loss of very large sums of money for the victims. He has also engaged in burglaries of business premises.
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