A man driving a stolen Mercedes was pursued by 20 Garda patrol cars and a Garda helicopter in a high-speed chase. He was jailed for two years.
Wayne Callaghan (27) of Harelawn Park, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to driving the vehicle, two charges of dangerous driving and reckless endangerment on November 28th, 2003, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The charges represented a sample of 13 offences against him.
Luan Ó Braonáin, defending, told Judge Desmond Hogan that Callaghan came from a family ravaged by drug addiction and that three of his brothers had died because of their drug habits. He said his client was anxious to get treatment for his addiction.
Judge Desmond Hogan, who also disqualified Callaghan from driving for five years, said he accepted his criminality was related to his drug addiction.
Garda David Brennan told Pádraig Dwyer, prosecuting, that he was patrolling an area around Fonthill Road, Clondalkin, at 1.30am, when he was alerted to a Mercedes that had been reported as stolen on November 26th, 2003.
Garda Brennan said he activated the siren on his vehicle and pursued the Mercedes, which failed to stop at a red light on Fonthill Road. It then failed to indicate as it went on to the N4 roundabout at the Deadman's Inn public house and subsequently drove around the roundabout the wrong way. The Mercedes then cut across a grass verge on the dual carriageway and drove at speed on the wrong side of the road, overtaking other motorists. The vehicle almost collided with a lamp post at the M50 flyover at the Ballymun exit.
Garda Brennan told Mr Dwyer that a stinger device, which punctures wheels, was thrown across the road in an attempt to intercept the vehicle at the Ballymun flats complex. The tyres of the vehicle deflated but the car continued across a field before it came to a stop beside the flats.
The driver got out and ran into a garden at the back of one of the flats and was arrested.
Garda Brennan said that the car had been driven from Clondalkin to Ballymun at speeds in excess of 100mph. Twenty patrol cars, along with a Garda helicopter, were involved in the chase, which lasted about 25 minutes.