A teenager has been jailed after stealing 24 bikes in a series of thefts over a six-month period in south Dublin. Some of the bikes were worth just €500 while the value of others rather to several thousand Euro, the court hearing in Dublin today was told.
The spree of robberies occurred over a six month period and though the Garda were able to link 24 thefts to him, only one of the bikes - which included Giants and Treks - was recovered by the gardaí.
Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court told the teenager, who has now just turned 18 years old, he would have been sentenced to more time in prison if he was older.
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However, Tyreece O’Farrell, of no fixed abode, was still jailed for three years, with the final 16 months suspended. He was sentenced to 20 month for the series of bicycle thefts in the Ballsbridge area in late 2019 and into 2020.
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The bikes were worth between €500 and €2,500, with the spree starting just after Christmas in 2019, continuing for about six months and targeting underground car parks in apartment blocks in Ballsbridge. O'Farrell was aged 15 years when the spree started and the court was told he had 29 previous convictions and was addicted to drugs.
O'Farrell was also jailed for 18 months for his role in a violent disorder in East Wall, north Dublin, in November, 2020. The court heard that during the incident cladding off a wall was thrown at a passing car, resulting in the driver sustaining a brain injury.
While O'Farrell had not been responsible for that part of the incident. However, he was convicted of violent disorder. Sentencing him to 18 months or the violent disorder and 18 months for the bike thefts, Judge Nolan also order O'Farrell to be off good behaviour for 16 months post-release and to be supervised by the Probation Service during that period.
