A teenage friend of the youths who died in the fatal M9 crash in August has pleaded guilty to joyriding-related charges after he led gardaí on a high-speed pursuit on the M50 in Dublin.
At the Dublin Children’s Court on Tuesday, the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of endangerment of life and motor theft arising from an unconnected joyriding incident on the night of May 18th.
Defence counsel Noah Rossiter said the deaths of the five youths – who had been involved in a fatal collision after driving on the wrong side of the M9 in Kildare – prompted a turnaround in the boy’s behaviour. He cannot be named because he is a juvenile.
Three women and a seven-year-old boy were seriously injured in that collision in the early hours of August 16th.
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Rossiter told Judge Paul Kelly that as a result of the August 16th incident, the teenager realised he would end up “behind bars or in a grave” if he did not change his ways.
The boy had led gardaí on a 33-minute car chase that started in Tallaght and included two periods on the M50 motorway. He entered the M50 both times via slip roads in the wrong direction and travelling against the flow of traffic.
Garda Jason Curran said the teenager failed to stop for blockade attempts and the use of stinger devices. He was tracked by the Garda Airport Support Unit’s helicopter on the motorway and came to a stop after sustaining burst tyres.
The teenager had another youth as a passenger, in a stolen Toyota Aqua.
The court heard there was heavy traffic on the motorway, the weather was poor, the road was wet and it was dark at the time.
The second youth avoided prosecution due to inclusion in the Garda Youth Diversion Programme.
The State argued that the case should be sent forward to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.
However, after submissions from Rossiter, who argued that the Children’s Court had appropriate sentencing powers of up to 24 months, Kelly accepted jurisdiction.
Rossiter told the court that the boy, who has no prior criminal record, had experienced a tumultuous period in recent times and had a compromised mental state.
Accepting jurisdiction in the case, Kelly described the driving as incredibly dangerous, stating there was “no excuse” for his actions. However, in accepting jurisdiction, he noted from the footage that the teenager had driven on the hard shoulder and flashed lights to warn oncoming motorists.
The boy, who remains on bail, still has to enter pleas to 10 connected dangerous driving charges for incidents immediately before, during and after he first turned onto the M50.
The case resumes in October.
