A young man who rammed a Garda patrol car during a 100mph car chase has been jailed for three years.
Lee Hurley (24), Farranferris Avenue, Cork, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless endangerment and one of burglary at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
The offences related to a burglary at a house in the Fermoy area on April 6th, 2006.
Garda Eugene Farrell of Fermoy Garda station told the court that Hurley and three accomplices had arrived at the home of a 69-year-old man in the mid-afternoon.
Gardaí were alerted to their presence and on arrival spotted a blue Honda Civic car. The car was not stolen.
Garda Farrell said that as gardaí moved to stop the vehicle, it sped off, and raced at an average speed of 100mph down the main Cork to Dublin road in the direction of Cork.
Gardaí chased the vehicle with beacons and sirens on, said Garda Farrell. However, the driver refused to stop.
On two occasions, gardaí witnessed the Honda Civic veer over to the other side of the road.
Three miles south of the village of Rathcormac, on the former Dublin Road, the patrol car managed to get in front of the getaway car. The driver of the vehicle then rammed the rear right-hand side of the patrol car, causing it to "fish-tail".
The Honda Civic continued in the direction of Cork. Gardaí later cornered it when it drove into a cul-de-sac in the Blackrock area of Cork city, 25 miles from where the chase began.
Gardaí recovered an electric shaver from the vehicle and Hurley was taken to the Bridewell Garda station where he was questioned under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act.
Garda Farrell told the court that Hurley had a catalogue of 76 previous convictions including driving under the influence of alcohol, unauthorised taking of a vehicle and of failing to stop for gardaí.
Hurley said he believed his trouble started when he "started hanging around with bad company". He told the court: "I want to change my life - I want to deal with my addiction."
Judge Patrick Moran sentenced Hurley to four years on each of the three counts.
He suspended the last year in all three and ordered that the sentences run concurrently.