Two men have been jailed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stolen vehicle offences and reckless endangerment of a Garda patrol car which had dumbbells thrown in its path.
Paul Beatty (19) and Michael Smith (20), both Hawthorn Avenue, East Wall, pleaded guilty to their roles in the offences which were committed in May and August 2005.
Beatty had 27 previous convictions and admitted car theft, endangerment and criminal damage on May 7th, 2005.
Smith had 25 previous convictions and admitted endangerment and carriage in a stolen car on May 7th, 2005 and carriage in a stolen car on August 11th, 2005.
Judge Katherine Delahunt jailed Beatty for three years and disqualified him from driving for five years, and imposed a three-year sentence on Smith with the last six months suspended on strict conditions.
Judge Delahunt said she accepted that Beatty was from a respectable family and had made attempts to rehabilitate, and said she was satisfied that Smith had not come to Garda attention since his offence and had some hope of rehabilitation from his alcohol and drug addiction.
Garda Shane Graham told Noel Whelan, prosecuting, that on August 7th, 2005 a vehicle which was taken from Annadale Crescent, Marino was spotted on Griffith Avenue a few minutes later by a Garda patrol car and failed to stop when signalled. The vehicle was driven at speed by Beatty through a red light on the Gracepark Road-Collins Avenue junction and failed again to stop when further signalled.
Garda Seán Allen said Smith was also arrested on August 11th, 2005 at Springhill Avenue, Deansgrange when he was a passenger in a car which had been stolen in Navan, Co Meath.