Man who compared his own antics to a scene from Grand Theft Auto to be sentenced in May

A seven-ton truck on a rampage of ramming and destruction was driven by a man who compared his own antics to a scene from Grand Theft Auto and today sentencing of the culprit was put back until May.

Defence barrister Alison McCarthy said that psychiatric or related reports were would be of benefit to the accused man in advance of sentencing.

38-year-old Istvan Konyari who had been living at an apartment at Shandon Street later told gardaí that the ramming felt like a scene from the video cops and robbers car chase game Grand Theft Auto.

In that game stars indicate when a dramatic scene is at its most potentially lethal. Mr Konyari believed that it was a case of maximum stars when the member of the Armed Response Unit fired the single shot through his windscreen shortly before 11am on November 8 2023. He came out with his hands held high.

Detective Garda Peter Quinn gave evidence of the extremely dangerous and sometimes bizarre incidents that occurred in the escapade of crime carried out by the accused in a period of three days culminating in the car park of Dwyer’s Electrical, Forge Hill, Cork.

The accused man confessed to carrying out three burglaries, stealing this truck and previously stealing a van which he used to stash the property he was stealing in various crimes.

It took a gunshot through his windscreen to get him to stop after ignoring numerous warnings to stop after he rammed garda cars and put lives at risk on that Wednesday morning, November 8 2023.

Judge Helen Boyle will sentence him on May 7 at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He was remanded in continuing custody. He has been in jail on the charges since the events of November 2023.