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Teen pulled handbrake turn on M50 and drove wrong way up slip roads in stolen car, court hears

The 17-year-old avoided being remanded in custody pending sentencing because the State’s main juvenile detention centre had no available space for him.

A SPEEDING TEENAGER in a stolen car pulled a handbrake turn on the M50, drove at a garda vehicle and the wrong way up busy slip roads while trying to dodge arrest, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old Dublin boy, who has the legal right to anonymity, avoided being remanded in custody pending sentencing because the State’s main juvenile detention centre had no available space for him.

He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Children’s Court to driving a stolen car, two counts of endangerment of life and five charges of dangerous driving stemming from the dramatic incident on March 21 last year.

In evidence, Garda Daniel Sweeney said he had been on duty in a patrol car in the Blanchardstown area at 3.10 pm when the boy “drove straight at me.”

Garda Sweeney recognised the boy behind the wheel of a Toyota Aqua that had been stolen the previous night.

The court heard the officer was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

Over the next 10 minutes, the boy, then aged 16, performed a handbrake turn at Dunsink Lane then headed to the N3 and the wrong way up a slip road prompting other motorists to take evasive action.

The youth later drove against traffic for 500 metres on the N3 before another handbrake turn led him to the M50.

The court heard he sped northbound with the flow of traffic on the motorway, overtaking other cars on the hard shoulder.

After passing the Junction Six exit he then performed another handbrake turn and drove the wrong way up the slip road against oncoming traffic attempting to merge with the M50.

Garda Sweeney recalled how other drivers had to brake suddenly and pull into the hard shoulder.

The 15-kilometre pursuit ended after the teenager reached the Ballymun exit and abandoned the car. Other motorists shouted where the boy was running, which helped lead the garda to arrest him.

Garda Sweeney agreed with defence solicitor Sandra Frayne that there was no video evidence. He estimated that about 20 cars had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by the boy. The defence said it was a saving grace that the vehicles on the slip roads had been travelling slowly.

The garda accepted the boy was cooperative on arrest.

A letter about the out-of-school boy’s participation in a youth group project was presented in court.

The solicitor explained that the teenager had been attending mental health services from a young age and had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, for which he gets medication.

He also had a cannabis problem but had been engaging with a substance abuse service aimed at young people.

After gardai established the boy repeatedly broke bail terms, including a curfew, Judge Paul Kelly determined that the bail should be revoked.

However, the judge had to allow the boy, who was accompanied to the hearing by his father, go because there was no room to hold him at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. His bail terms are still in place.

The boy is scheduled to appear in court again in February, and the judge referred him to the Probation Service to prepare a pre-sentence report.

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