The youth who was a passenger in a stolen sports car that killed two gardai last April should have been in a secure facility at the time but there was no residential place available, a court was told today.
The 16-year-old, who can't be named for legal reasons, today pleaded guilty to three charges arising out of the collision with a Garda patrol car on the Stillorgan dual carriageway on April 14th, 2002. Gda Tony Tighe and Gda Michael Padden will killed in the collision.
He admitted stealing a mobile phone, a set of car keys, two sets of house keys, a cheque and a wallet containing cash and bank and credit cards, from an apartment in Dalkey.
He also pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking a vehcile without the consent of the owner and knowing that the vehicle had been stolen, allowing himself to be carried in it.
Det Insp Martin Cummins agreed with Mr Anthony Sammon SC, defending, that the youth wouldn't have been at large at the time if there had been a suitable residential place available for him.
Judge Catherine Delahunt remanded him in continuing custody for sentence on January 31th next at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.