A 14-year-old boy was so small he could barely drive the car he stole, a court heard yesterday. "All I could see was a pair of eyes above the dashboard," Garda David Rothwell told Swords District Court.
The Coolock boy pleaded guilty to taking a Ford Fiesta from Malahide on November 17th, 1997. He drove along in the dark with no lights, at speeds of up to 80 m.p.h. He drove through Darndale, swerving from side to side and on the wrong side of the road, before driving into a playground and abandoning the car. He was arrested by Garda Rothwell.
The boy also admitted breaking into a car in Coolock on November 4th, 1997, and another in Clonshaugh on February 4th this year, as well as stealing beer from a supermarket.
Judge Sean Delap remanded him in custody to Oberstown House to May 5th for reports.