Man hijacked car after being driven to buy drugs

By David O’Sullivan

A Wicklow man who hijacked a car using a knife after being driven to Dublin to buy crack cocaine has been jailed for two and a half years.

Dale Kavanagh (29), of Upper Main Street, Arklow, Co. Wicklow appeared before Judge Orla Crowe in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday having pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, unlawful seizure of a vehicle and driving with no insurance in Castle Crescent, Clondalkin on March 3, 2022.

Garda Tom Balfe told John Moher BL, prosecuting, that Kavanagh was driven to Dublin to buy crack cocaine by a man he knew. He proceeded to attack that man and hijack his car with the use of a knife.

The car’s owner was sitting in his vehicle on the Main Street in Arklow, Co Wicklow when he saw Kavanagh and another man. Kavanagh and the car’s owner knew each other.

The two men asked him to drive them to Dublin in exchange for €40 and money for petrol.

They were travelling to Dublin in order to get some crack cocaine.

The man drove the two to a car park in Castle Crescent, Clondalkin. Kavanagh and the other man then got out and went to a house.

When they returned to the car, Kavanagh sat in the back seat. He then took out a knife and put it to the car owner’s neck.

A struggle between the three men ensued and Kavanagh hit the car’s owner a number of times with the handle of the knife. Both men also struck the car’s owner with punches.

Kavanagh attempted to retrieve the keys from the ignition and the car’s owner tried to get out.

The car was then driven off while its owner was hanging out of it, dragging the man along the ground for approximately ten meters. Onlookers heard him screaming in pain from being dragged along the road, with one eyewitness saying it looked like one of the wheels went over him.

When gardai arrived, they found the man bleeding profusely and disorientated.

He was brought to Tallaght Garda Station. Medical examination showed the man had lacerations to his hand and road rash on his hip.

Gardai spotted the hijacked car about two hours later. They saw a large amount of blood on its exterior and arrested the two men who had been involved in the earlier incident.

They found the knife used in the hijacking under a seat as well as the car owner’s wallet, which was missing €200.

Kavanagh was interviewed and said the car’s owner had went ‘psycho’ which is why they drove off in his car.

Vincent Heneghan SC, defending, said his client had begun using drugs at the age of 14 and had had a chronic heroin addiction from the age of 21.

“He does appear to be a good person who does bad things arising out of his drug addiction,” he said, adding that his client doesn’t fully remember what happened.

Mr Heneghan told the court his client was genuinely remorseful for his actions and is currently drug free.

Kavanagh has 14 previous offences including for affray, production of an article, and misuse of drugs.

In sentencing, Judge Crowe described the incident as “especially lawless” and said “whilst the injured party was facilitating the consumption of drugs, he did not deserve what was meted out to him.”

She said the aggravating factors include that Kavanagh had committed the crimes while on bail for another offence as well as his previous convictions. Judge Crowe also noted that Kavanagh was placed at a high risk of reoffending in the probation report.

She said the mitigating factors were his guilty plea, that he apologised, that he was “in the grip of a drug problem” and that he enjoys family support.

Judge Crowe also commended the gardai for finding Kavanagh and the car so quickly.

The judge sentenced Kavanagh to a period of three years imprisonment, but suspended the final six months on strict conditions. This sentence is to run consecutively to a two and a half year sentence he is already serving.

Kavanagh was also disqualified from driving for two years.