Teenager who drove stolen car to Drogheda spared jail

A teenage boy who stole a car in Letterkenny and drove it to Drogheda has avoided a custodial sentence.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, abandoned the car at the side of the road in Drogheda after driving off from a Letterkenny service station without paying.

Letterkenny District Court heard that the youth is currently on remand at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus for other matters.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that a blue Skoda was seen being driven away from the Dry Arch service station without paying for €40 of diesel.

The owner of the car had reported the vehicle stolen from the car park at Letterkenny Shopping Centre at 10.30 am on November 12, 2022.

The car was found in Drogheda later that day. The teenager made full admissions over the theft of the car.

The boy faced other charges over the incident, including driving without insurance, driving without a driving licence and taking the vehicle without authority.

Mr Patsy Gallagher, solicitor for the youth, told the court that his client had found a key on the wheel of the car and that nobody was injured during the incident.

Mr Gallagher, said his client had a 'difficult enough background'.

“He is a very intelligent young man and he wants to draw a line in the sand,” Mr Gallagher said.

For the theft of the vehicle, Judge Éiteáin Cunningham convicted him and imposed a 12-month probation bond. The other charges were taken into account by Judge Cunningham.