Teenager receives six-month sentence for endangering two female gardaí in Ballyfermot ‘ramming’

A Dublin teenager has received a six-month custodial sentence for endangering two female gardaí in a patrol car that was rammed by stolen cars in Ballyfermot last year.

The 16-year-old boy, who later used a high-powered electric motorbike on bail while “goading” gardaí, had his case finalised at the Dublin Children’s Court on Tuesday.

District Court president Judge Paul Kelly also placed the teenager, who is to be detained at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus, on supervised probation for 12 months.

At earlier stages in the proceedings, probation reports were sought on the boy who had already spent a 10-day stint in custody on remand for breach of bail.

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The court had heard that in August the teen followed detectives to get a chase and nearly ran over a child while doing a “wheelie”.

However, after spending a week and a half in custody, he was released back on bail with a warning to obey the reinstated conditions, including a ban on using any motor vehicle.

The schoolboy had earlier pleaded guilty to endangerment of the two officers’ lives, a motor theft offence, criminal damage and dangerous driving in connection with the incident at Cherry Orchard Avenue in Ballyfermot, Dublin, on the evening of September 19th, 2022. Clips of the scenes went viral on social media last year.

A stolen silver Toyota Aqua collided head-on twice with the patrol car. It was then “sideswiped” by another Toyota Aqua driven by the boy, who maintained he had not intentionally connected with the garda vehicle.

The court heard he had broken a 10pm – 8am court-imposed curfew and an order not to use any motor vehicle.

On a date in July, the teenager followed a garda car for 10 to 15 minutes in South Dublin on an electric motorbike capable of up to 80km/h.

On another date in August, he also breached his curfew.

Another curfew breach happened when the teen was part of a crowd verbally abusing gardaí, but he complied with a caution to leave the vicinity.

The court heard that in August, the teenager was spotted doing an estimated 60 – 70km/h on the same electric motorbike in a crowded area.

Another 16-year-old boy, accused of twice ramming the garda car, remains on bail. A 15-year-old boy who admitted to being a passenger in one of the stolen cars is awaiting sentencing.