'Nasty edge' in case of Luas passenger who broke window

Ross Behan (23), who was separately seen running after his partner with a knife, had a "dark and bleak" history of crimes with a "nasty edge", a court heard.

Behan, from La Touche Road, Bluebell, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, burglary, possession of knives and drugs and other charges in a spate of offending.

Judge Flann Brennan imposed concurrent sentences.

Dublin District Court heard Behan was walking through the Luas red line carriage at the Drimnagh stop while on his phone at 3.32pm last April 24.

He "appeared to be very irate" when he kicked the window, which cracked and had to be replaced at a cost of €1,352.

A garda said it was not alleged the accused was intoxicated, but he was on the phone to someone and got irate and "took out his rage on the window."

Knife

Separately, on July 21, he chased his partner with a knife at Bluebell Road at 2.05am. When he was stopped and searched, a knife was found on the ground near him which matched a description given to gardaí.

Behan broke into cars in Bluebell on October 30 while under the influence of drugs and had cocaine on him when searched. He also stole a bicycle from outside Tesco in Inchicore on October 17.

And on November 5, he was caught with eight deals of heroin on O'Connell Bridge.

Behan was seen trying to get into gardens in Inchicore on October 30 and fled gardaí but was found hiding in a toilet behind a fast food restaurant.

On May 8, he pulled up the magnetic front door of an office building at Finches Business Park, Longmile Road, Walkinstown. He got into the lobby but fled when the alarm went off.

Behan had started abusing drugs at a very young age and soon progressed to heroin, his lawyer said. He had 32 prior convictions and was already serving a sentence.

Judge Brennan said Behan had an appalling record with a "very dark and bleak history of crime" and there was a "nasty edge" to a lot of his offending.