Teenager jailed for driving car used in Carlow burglary spree - Courts News Ireland

A Dublin teenager who was the driver of a car involved in a spate of burglaries in Carlow almost two years ago has been jailed for two years. The 18-year-old, who cannot be named as he was a juvenile at the time, pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to burglary and criminal damage at a housing estate in Killerig,

A Dublin teenager who was the driver of a car involved in a spate of burglaries in Carlow almost two years ago has been jailed for two years.

The 18-year-old, who cannot be named as he was a juvenile at the time, pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to burglary and criminal damage at a housing estate in Killerig, Tullow, burglary at the Hair Lounge, Main Street, Rathvilly, stealing petrol to the value of €36.91 from Circle K at Rathcrogue, Carlow and burglary at Palatine GAA club, Bennekerry, on September 17, 2024. The incidents all occurred between 2.30am and 4.45am that morning.

He has a number of previous convictions including many offences relating to the stealing and driving of stolen cars.

The court heard that the teenager’s father died when he was a toddler and his mother was both physically and emotionally abusive towards him.

He has been described as being above average intelligence by an adolescent and child psychotherapist but he is displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He has no motivation to stop offending and additionally does not demonstrate victim empathy, the court heard.

Judge Mary Morrissey said the teenager had a difficult upbringing and had “no real nurtured background”. She acknowledged that he has support from his grandparents and that his grandfather was in court.

She noted that the teenager began experimenting with drugs and fell into the wrong peer group as a younger child.

The judge said that the teenager has “significant moral culpability” in the crimes and had been acting as part of “a joint enterprise”. She said these were “not victimless crimes as they create fear amongst the public” noting that one of the houses burgled was occupied at the time.

Judge Morrissey further noted that there was a significant level of pre-meditation involved and that the teenager had been on bail when he carried out these crimes.

In mitigation she acknowledged that the teenager had pleaded guilty which had saved not only the victims coming to give evidence but also saved the considerable costs and expense of a trial.

She set concurrent sentences totalling 36 months before she acknowledged that the teenager requires a structured environment and “deserves an opportunity to reach his full potential”.

Judge Morrissey suspended the final 12 months of the three year term on strict conditions including that he engage with the Probation Service, co-operate with mental health, addiction services and community counselling, in the hope of “supporting him on improving his life trajectory”.

The judge noted from the reports before the court that the teenager would rather remain in detention than return home and that he is in urgent need of effective counselling.

Before imposing sentence Judge Morrissey addressed the teenager directly and acknowledged his potential and wished him the “very best of luck”.

“You have so much to offer and so much to give,” Judge Morrissey said, to which the teenager replied “thank you judge”.

At an earlier court hearing last March, Brian O’Shea BL, prosecuting, told the court that in one of the incidents the doors of the clubhouse of Palatine GAA club were rammed with the Mazda driven by the teenager before €100 worth of alcohol and a cash register was stolen.

In an earlier incident there was an attempted raid on the Hair Lounge in Rathvilly during which a door and window were damaged. Nothing was taken.

The Mazda was captured on a house camera pulling up outside a house in an estate in Killerig before a number of people got out of the car and broke into the house. They were startled and returned to the car without taking anything from the house.

The final incident involved the theft of petrol from Circle K in Rathcrogue. The teenager filled up the car and drove out of the forecourt without paying.

The suspects were captured on many CCTV cameras and the teenager was ultimately identified following the publication of a Carlow Bulletin which is an internal Garda document.

He was arrested and charged and identified as the driver of the car. He was on bail at the time for an endangerment offence the previous month.

It was accepted that the teenager was respectful and mannerly and caused the gardaí no difficulty.

Kathleen Leader SC, defending, said the teenager’s father died when he was young and his mother subjected him to violence throughout his childhood.

“He did not have the benefit of a peaceful nurturing background,” Ms Leader told the court outlining that her client “witnessed an amount of violence” as a child, which has impacted his ability to react to stressful situations.

She said he began taking drugs at a young age and became involved in an anti-social peer group. Counsel said he was also regularly absent from school.