Man sentenced to prison for hijacking car with five-month-old baby in back
A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for hijacking a car with a five-month-old baby in the back. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Noel Ryan, 48, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to one count of hijacking a vehicle and one count of abduction of a child. The incident happened at Mountjoy Square, north inner city Dublin, on September 23, 2024. Ryan has 41 previous convictions including for theft, aggravated burglary, road traffic matters and misuse of drugs. Judge Martin Nolan said yesterday the child was left by itself for the guts of three hours. He said the baby’s parents “had to endure what no parents should have to endure”. Judge Nolan said: “I understand he [Ryan] was in the throes of addiction at the time, but he put himself in that position.” The judge said “he was reckless in regard to the child”. He noted that “anyone informed by conscience would have put the car in some place it could have been found more easily”. Judge Nolan set a headline sentence of nine and a half years; after considering the mitigating factor, he sentenced him to seven years in prison backdated to when Ryan went into custody on this matter. Detective Garda Paul Griffin told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that on the day in question, the mother of the child parked her car in Mountjoy Square. She went to the boot of her car and was setting up her child buggy when she heard her car door close. She ran to the driver’s door and saw Ryan inside. She pulled open the door and began screaming that her baby was in the car. The court viewed CCTV footage, which showed the woman holding onto the car door as Ryan drove off. She was dragged until she could no longer hold on any longer. Members of the public tried to stop the car and came to the woman’s assistance. The woman’s phone and handbag were also in the car. Det Gda Griffin said the car was taken at 1:45 pm, and a “Child Rescue Ireland” alert was sent out. He said that almost every garda car in Dublin was on alert, and air support was also deployed. Two members of the public flagged down a garda who was on patrol near Richmond Street; they told him there was an alley nearby where cars are often abandoned. The garda checked this alley and saw the car in question. The court heard the garda saw a baby’s foot, and when he opened the door, he saw the baby in its rear-facing car seat. He said the child had tears moving down its face and was agitated. He then held the baby’s hand and picked up a brown teddy bear to try to cheer the baby up. The car was located by the gardai at 4pm. Ryan had used a credit card which belonged to the mother of the baby in a shop nearby 12 minutes after the car was taken. Gardai viewed CCTV footage from the shop, and he was identified. Ryan was arrested the following day and was interviewed six times in total. On the sixth interview, he made some admissions by saying: “I did not know there was a child in the car, I went to Clarence Street to get a friend to ring the gardai.” The mother of the child read a victim impact statement to the court: “I felt a terror like I have never known before, the fear for my child’s safety. “I tried everything to stop him driving away, I screamed that my baby was in the car. I did everything I could, but it was not enough. I watched my car drive off at speed with my child in it and a stranger.” The father of the baby read a second victim impact statement: “This was the single worst day of my life. I felt the ground beneath my feet completely collapse.” Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
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