Four-year sentence for driver who put ‘fear of God’ into plane-spotters

A Meath man who “put the fear of God” into a large crowd of plane-spotters when he drove a stolen car into a viewing area at Dublin Airport has been given a four-year sentence.

Graham McGuinness (22) said he “panicked and made a silly mistake” when he drove recklessly up a crowded embankment and then dangerously jumped out of the car as it was still moving.

McGuinness, of Fr Flood Park, Dunderry, Navan, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to the unlawful use of a car at Collinstown Lane, Ballymun, on July 7th last year.

A second count of dangerous driving was taken into consideration. McGuinness had been disqualified from driving for 10 years at the time of the offence. Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said McGuinness had "put the fear of God" into bystanders at the airport, who had to scatter and jump out of the way when he drove among them.

Judge Nolan suspended the final year of the four-year sentence, noting that McGuinness was a young man and that there was hope for his rehabilitation in the future.

Garda Gary Dillane told Gerardine Small, prosecuting, that gardaí had pulled over a car on the Naul Road in mid-afternoon when they spotted another car travelling at excessive speed. This car, a black Mitsubishi Colt, overtook six cars on a continuous white line while travelling well over the 80k/ph speed limit and forcing oncoming cars to break hard and swerve.

Gardaí gave chase and the Mitsubishi Colt drove up on to an embankment at the viewing area of Dublin Airport, causing a large gathering of members of the public to leap out of the way.

The driver then jumped out of the car while it was still moving and it rolled back down the embankment across two lines of traffic before crashing on the far side of road.

The driver fled on foot and darted through a gap in the hedge with several gardaí in pursuit. Garda Dillane said he grabbed the man’s foot, but the man started kicking him in the face and escaped again before he was finally caught under a bush.

He gave a false name on arrest but was “75 per cent truthful” to gardaí and admitted driving recklessly.

“I shouldn’t have done it, I panicked,” he said. McGuinness has 41 previous convictions including criminal damage, theft, burglary, drug offences and threats to kill. Counsel for the defence said McGuinness had been in care from the age of 12 to 17 and had a “very difficult, unsettled” life with very little stability.

The court heard that McGuinness had problems with alcohol and drugs but was taking steps to deal with this.