Man due in court on car theft, burglary charges

A 19-year-old man from the south inner city is due to appear in Dublin District Court this morning charged in connection with…

A 19-year-old man from the south inner city is due to appear in Dublin District Court this morning charged in connection with the burglaries and car thefts which preceded the car-stealing collision in which Garda Tony Tighe and Garda Michael Padden were killed last Sunday week.

Garda∅ investigating the deaths of two of their colleagues are expected to make further arrests this week.

The 19-year-old was arrested yesterday morning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He was charged last night in Blackrock station with six offences relating to burglary and car theft.

A juvenile aged 15 who was arrested on Monday evening was released yesterday, and a file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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One 15-year-old youth was charged last Friday with allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car and with burglary at an apartment in Pilot View, Bulloch Harbour, of goods worth €6,000.

Another 18-year-old was charged last week with the unauthorised taking of another car stolen during the same episode.

It is expected that another youth, the 16-year-old driver of the car which struck the car carrying Garda Tighe and Garda Padden, will appear in court once he is released from St James's Hospital. He is being treated for leg injuries sustained in the accident.

It is thought that up to seven youths, all from the south inner city, were involved in the episode in which several houses and apartments were robbed and at least two cars stolen.

According to local sources, most of the youths come from troubled backgrounds. A number also come from families which have been badly afflicted by heroin addiction.

Most of the youths also have come to the attention of the Garda previously.

One has at least 24 previous court appearances but has never been detained for any significant time because of the lack of custodial space for juveniles in the State.

After the 15-year-old was remanded in custody last Friday to Oberstown youth detention centre, another troubled 14-year-old being held there had to be released to make space.