Hi °C | Lo °C A 16-YEAR-OLD boy, who plans to emigrate when he gets qualifications, has been sentenced to six months' probation for stealing a delivery man's motorcycle and speeding off without wearing a helmet.
The teenager, who has nine prior criminal convictions, admitted in court that he stole the motorcycle at Dorset Street, in central Dublin, on February 1 last year.
Mountjoy Garda Peter Hughes told the Dublin Children's Court that he caught up with him at Gardiner Street “driving at speed” and not wearing a helmet.
The teenager abandoned the motorcycle and fled into a block of flats where he was arrested.
Gda Hughes said that luckily pedestrians were not placed in immediate danger but the teenager's driving had been slightly risky at one point.
The boy had already been sentenced to six months' probation last November for trespassing, theft and public order offences.
Defence counsel Kate O'Toole asked the judge to note that the motorbike theft pre-dated the imposition of a probation bond and he has not come to further Garda attention since November.
The court heard that the boy's parents had worked hard to get him into a training course which he hopes to start soon. He spends is spare time with his father involved in sport and hopes to get a qualification before he emigrates, the lawyer said.
Judge Ryan said the teenager needed to work on his attitude after hearing the boy had once taunted and verbally abused another garda in public.
She also said he needed to do the training course and sentenced him to another six months of supervised probation. This means he must accept guidance from his probation officer and not re-offend otherwise he could be brought back to court and detained for the theft.
A six-month road ban was also imposed on the teenager.
