A 19-year-old man who stole a car with the owner's three young children in it has been given a four-year suspended sentence by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Martin Lumsden of Harmonstown, Artane, pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and to stealing a car on May 9th, 2002 on Lorcan Avenue, Santry, Dublin.
Garda Anthony Todd said the owner of the car had been shopping at the Omniplex shopping centre in Santry earlier that day and had gone to visit a house on Lorcan Avenue. She was only going to be there for a brief moment, and left the children in the car. She closed the door to the driver's seat but left the key in the ignition. When she returned after about three minutes, her car and her three children, aged nine, six and one, were gone.
Garda Todd said Lumsden, who was a drug addict, had seen the unlocked car with the key in the ignition and had got in and driven off with the children. He drove to the back of Beaumont Hospital where he parked the car and asked the children to get out.
The oldest child, who was in the passenger seat, got out first and unloaded the shopping bags. He also went around to the back to take the baby out and make sure that his six-year-old sister was out of the car too.
A woman who was visiting the hospital at the time observed the children being taken out of the car and noticed they appeared to be frightened and in great distress. She kept watching them until Lumsden told her to "f off", she told gardaí. She said Lumsden told her they were crying because he could not start the car and had told the children to get back in it. He then drove off from the hospital with the children. He went to Beaumont Crescent where he left the children on the street. The eldest child told gardaí they knocked on "an old man's door". He let them in and called gardaí.
Garda Todd said soon after gardaí drove the children's mother, who had earlier reported the children and car missing, to the house on Beaumont Crescent.
Judge John O'Hagan noted that the two eldest children had been negatively affected by the incident, and that the eldest had had to attend counselling.
He suspended the sentence on account that Lumsden had been given a place at Coolmine Centre which he had to attend until he was drug free. The sentence was suspended for four years, and was back-dated to June 2002 when he was taken into custody.
Judge O'Hagan also noted that he was taking into account the fact that both Lumsden's parents had been in court for the hearing and had given evidence in his support. He said it had been courageous of them to have admitted to making mistakes in their upbringing of Lumsden and noted that they were now prepared to make amends to him by being more supportive and understanding.