A TEENAGER who drove directly at gardai in a stolen car just two days after his release from a reformatory has been given three years' detention.
A chase involving Garda cars ended with two cars being written off, a stationary car valued at £20,000 and the stolen car valued at £4,000, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told yesterday.
The 16 year old defendant drove through red traffic lights with a Garda patrol car behind him and crashed into the stationary car at North Strand.
A man in the stationary car as well as the teenager and three passengers in the stolen car had to be cut out of the vehicles.
The defendant from the north inner city area, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was the least badly injured, Garda Brian Kavanagh told Mr Padraig Dwyer, prosecuting.
Garda Kavanagh said the defendant was doing "handbrake turns" in the stolen car on waste ground at Ballybough last January 16th when Gardai P.J. O'Brien and Dermot Mangan arrived on foot.
The teenager drove directly at the gardai. He then crashed the stolen car.
Ms Mary Ellen Ring, defending, said her client was serving a six month sentence for another offence since April and had moved rapidly from reformatory to detention.
Judge Kevin Haugh accepted the youth had a troubled background, but said his behaviour was grossly irresponsible".