A man who left a 10-month-old baby between parked cars on the side of a busy Dublin road after stealing her mother’s car has been jailed for eight years.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the infant’s seven-year-old brother jumped out of the Skoda car and ran into the family home to alert his mother after Francis Broughan (47) hijacked it in Cabra on the night of August 21st, 2022.
The children’s parents then flagged down a passing car and followed the Skoda, later losing sight of it.
The court heard two women were chatting on a nearby street when they heard a baby crying and saw a man – Broughan – slamming a rear car door. One of the woman shouted at Broughan, who then drove off. After the car left, they went to look as they could still hear a baby crying.
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They found the infant lying on her front on the ground between parked cars. The baby was checked at the scene by paramedics and did not require any further medical attention.
Broughan was jailed for eight years on Monday after pleading guilty to the unlawful seizure of a vehicle in August 2022.
The court heard Broughan of Shangan Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11, had previously hijacked a car parked outside a supermarket in North Dublin, after holding an object to the neck of the 81-year-old driver.
The man was waiting for a friend who was in the supermarket when his car’s rear door was opened. Broughan put something to the man’s neck and told him to drive, before shouting at him to hand over his phone and wallet.
The man said his phone and wallet were in the boot. Broughan told him to pull over.
The injured party said Broughan seemed calm so he decided to try to buy time to reach a busier road, where he pulled in.
Broughan was shouting at him to get out of the car and leave the keys. The man beeped the car’s horn to get the attention of passersby, then grabbed the keys.
Broughan fled the scene. The man told gardaí he thought Broughan’s intention was to rob him.
Victim impact statements were handed into the court and not read aloud.
When interviewed, Broughan told gardaí that he could not recall what had happened and was addicted to crack cocaine at the time of the incidents.
He identified himself on CCTV, expressed shame, disgust and embarrassment about his behaviour and apologised. He also expressed concern for the baby.
Broughan has 56 previous convictions including for burglary, road traffic and drugs offences. He was on bail at the time of these offences.
Imposing sentence, Judge Elva Duffy noted the seriousness of the offending, the trauma suffered by the injured parties, the “harrowing” contents of the victim impact statements and the particular vulnerabilities of the man, the young boy and the infant girl.
Judge Duffy said the mother outlined in her victim impact statement that the boy felt guilty for leaving his sister and had to be consoled that he had done the right thing in leaving the car to alert her.
The judge said Broughan further endangered the “poor innocent and very vulnerable 10-month-old” by leaving her on the side of a busy road.
“How anybody could have done that beggars belief,” the judge added.
Broughan took the stand and expressed his sincere apologies to the injured parties. He outlined his history of addiction to heroin, that he got clean, but relapsed in 2022 after losing his job and started taking crack cocaine.
He said he committed the offence while in the throes of addiction, but was now drug-free and working again.
Judge Duffy said the court would give Broughan credit for his guilty plea, which was entered in advance of a trial date.
Having considered the mitigation and Broughan’s personal circumstances, Judge Duffy imposed an eight year sentence.
