Man avoids jail for causing €175,000 of damage playing ‘dodgems’ with bin lorries

A former waste worker who caused more than €175,000 of damage when he “played dodgems” with a number of bin lorries in the early hours has been given a suspended sentence.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Marian Calderas (39) was working at Key Waste Management Ltd on the Greenhills Road in Tallaght on January 24th, 2023 when his colleagues realised he was drunk as a plastic bottle he was drinking from contained alcohol rather than water or juice.

Calderas, with an address at Fenton Green, Church Street, Kilcock, Co Kildare, had started working for the company some six weeks earlier and had been collecting refuse bins and putting them into bin lorries at the time.

His colleagues brought him into the canteen for his own safety. Calderas was left unattended and slept for a time before CCTV showed him using a code to gain access to a room with keys to bin lorries at 2.25am.

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He got into a bin truck with a 2017 registration plate and crashed it into three other bin lorries. The incident was captured on CCTV. He caused more than €87,000 of damage to one truck, some €38,000 to another and about €49,000 to a third, bringing the total cost to €175,998.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage and was given a sentence of three years, suspended in full. Judge Martin Nolan ordered Calderas to hand over €5,000 to be transferred to the company immediately, with a further €7,250 to be collected and transferred within the next year.

Judge Nolan had heard evidence in the case on Wednesday but adjourned the matter overnight as he said he did not know how to deal with Calderas and had consulted with several colleagues.

In his ruling, the judge said Calderas was “totally intoxicated” and in a “besotted state” when he drove a bin lorry very recklessly and caused huge damage.

“It’s hard to get into his mind and establish what he was trying to accomplish, but he must have entertained himself driving around like the bumpers and crashing into things,” said Judge Nolan.

Garda Amy Murphy told Patrick Jackson BL, prosecuting, that Key Waste paid €150,000 of the repair cost themselves as they were very concerned as to how it might affect their insurance premium if they claimed.

When arrested two weeks after the incident, Calderas answered all questions, made admissions and was apologetic and remorseful. He was dismissed by the company for gross misconduct. The court heard he had no previous convictions in Ireland or his native Romania.

When asked by the judge if Calderas had offered any explanation for his actions, Garda Murphy replied that it was to do with alcohol.

“Madness overtook him. He played dodgem cars and did a huge amount of damage,” said Judge Nolan, adding that it could have been far more serious if anyone had been in the vehicles.

Judge Nolan said that if the injured party does not wish to accept the sum of €12,250, it should be given to a local charity of the company’s choice. “Hopefully this fine will remind him not to do this again. Hopefully he’ll stay away from alcohol,” he added.

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