Teen on M50 bail breaches curfew while awaiting sentencing

A 17‑year‑old who drove the wrong way on the M50 has continued to breach his bail curfew and come to Garda attention while awaiting sentencing.

The teenager, a friend of the youths killed in the fatal M9 crash, pleaded guilty in September at the Dublin Children’s Court to endangerment of life and motor theft arising from a separate joyriding incident on the night of 18 May. Judge Paul Kelly noted the boy had initially claimed to have changed his behaviour.

After a seven‑week adjournment during which he was placed on supervision, the court heard the teen had again broken his bail conditions and was repeatedly flagged by Gardaí. This prompted an objection to his bail. The boy currently lacks legal representation because many solicitors are on strike over legal‑aid payment reforms, leaving him at risk of detention.

Judge Kelly described the teenager as being in a “difficult and vulnerable situation”, noting that a solicitor had been assigned on legal aid in May but had withdrawn following the dispute. The court adjourned the case with bail and ordered the teen to appear again next week.

During the original incident, Garda Jason Curran detailed a 33‑minute chase that began in Tallaght, with the stolen Toyota Aqua entering the M50 twice via slip roads on the wrong side. The vehicle was pursued by the Garda Airport Support Unit helicopter and eventually stopped after its tyres burst, with the teen and his passenger surrendering on the roadside.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Pixabay / Pexels.