Dublin man found guilty of role in terrifying Artane carjacking when aged 16

Tom Tuite

A 20-year-old man has been convicted for his role in a terrifying hijacking where a Dublin motorist was threatened with being shot and taunted about being stabbed nearly four years ago.

The accused cannot be named because he was 16 and a juvenile at the time of the incident in Artane.

He had denied being one of two men involved in seizing the car through intimidation on the night of May 4th, 2022.

However, he was found guilty by Judge Paul Kelly at the Dublin Children's Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The owner of a 2017-reg Hyundai testified that he was the sole occupant in the car and was parking when his door opened. Then, he heard a voice saying, "Give me the car, or I will blow your head off".

The young man recalled that there was a masked man who repeated the same sentence, which the complainant took to be a fatal threat, and he got out.

There was a second male in an orange jacket, who also got into the passenger side after saying to the masked man, "You should stab this fellah".

The car was driven off, leaving him nervous and scared, "standing on my own in the dark".

It was the State's case that in the unlawful seizure of the car, the accused was the second male who made the stabbing comment and that he acted in league with the man who made the shooting threat.

Garda National Economic Crime Bureau Detective Sean Ryan said he recognised the accused from CCTV obtained from a local Circle K garage. It showed a person in an orange top getting out and filling up the car about four hours later.

Detective Ryan told the court he recognised the accused and had already known him from his garda work.

He agreed when cross-examined by defence solicitor Michael Byrne that he did not seek corroboration from other officers.

State solicitor Ruth Walsh submitted that the prosecution had established that the accused was also involved in the carjacking.

A probation report was ordered for the sentence hearing in March, when the judge will also continue hearing a second unrelated charge against the accused for making a false instrument by signing X on a bail bond after giving a false name at the time of arrest for shoplifting.

He is in custody on other matters and did not testify during the hearing.

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