‘Mob mentality’ teen is sentenced to community service for helping wreck taxi

Tom Tuite

A teenager who got caught up in "mob mentality" when he helped a gang suddenly wreck a taxi in central Dublin has been sentenced to community service.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was spared a sentence after pleading guilty at the Dublin Children's Court to causing criminal damage on June 6th, 2021, at South Great George's Street.

The Probation Service prepared a report assessing his suitability for community service.

Judge Paul Kelly ordered him to carry out 60 hours of work to be assigned and placed him on supervised probation for nine months.

Garda Conor Harrington had told the court that the driver stopped at lights when two males, not including the accused, began jumping on his car roof.

Four others, including the boy, then aged 15, joined in jumping on top of the taxi.

CCTV

CCTV captured the incident, and the footage was shown to the judge.

The court heard they caused €6,572 in damage, and the driver was out of work for a week.

The garda agreed with defence counsel Doireann McDonagh that the boy was not the main instigator, but he clarified that "the group as a whole" caused the damage.

Two others are before the courts.

The accused, accompanied to court by a family member, has 20 criminal convictions, including theft-related and criminal damage, which resulted in the court placing him on supervised probation last year.

However, he was not subject to that order at the time of the taxi incident.

Counsel told the court that the boy had not taken part in an offence like it before.

The defence acknowledged he "got caught up in mob mentality; there is no excuse" but also maintained that older peers influenced him.

Asked his thoughts about the incident, the teen said it was stupid.

But he agreed with Judge Kelly that it was "more than stupid" for the driver, who was making a living and possibly with a family to support.