Man jailed for stealing car while disqualified from driving

By Claire Henry

A twenty-one-year-old man with 109 previous convictions who once escaped from Garda custody has been jailed.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Michael McGinley (then 18) pleaded guilty to the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, trespassing, theft, driving without insurance, and driving a car while disqualified. All of which occurred on February 21, 2024, in various locations in Malahide, Lusk and Balrothery.

McGinley, now 21, has 109 previous convictions. He was disqualified from driving at the time of the offending and was on bail. The court heard that McGinley escaped from lawful custody in 2025 and went on the run before being arrested two months later.

Passing sentence, Judge Elma Sheahan said the aggravating factors were the serious nature of the offending, McGinley’s disqualification from driving and that he was on bail at the time, and his significant history of similar offending.

The judge noted mitigating factors, including his guilty pleas, the contents of reports before the court, his remorse, and his desire to move forward with his life.

The judge also considered the victim impact statements before sentencing.

Judge Sheahan set a sentence of three years for the unauthorised taking of the vehicle, 18 months for theft and seven months for trespassing. All are to run concurrently. She suspended six months of this overall sentence.

The judge noted that McGinley is currently serving a prison sentence until July 2028 and said today’s sentence will begin once that sentence is completed. She then suspended a further six months of this sentence for six months.

Garda Fergus Garvey told Stephen Montgomery, BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of February 21, 2024, McGinley and an unknown youth entered a housing estate at Brookfield, Back Road in Malahide. CCTV footage from the estate shows McGinley and the youth checking car doors to see if they were locked.

A North Face jacket worth €250 was taken from one car, and a Ford car was also taken by McGinley. CCTV footage from a service station in Lusk showed McGinley driving the car. The car was later seen parked 300 metres from McGinley’s home. Gardai obtained the spare key from the car owner and disconnected the car’s battery. They then waited and observed the car until McGinley appeared and entered the car.

McGinley fled the area when he saw gardai approaching but was later arrested, detained and interviewed. Victim impact statements were handed into the court but not read aloud.

Gda Garvey agreed with Luke O’Higgins, BL, defending, that his client was 18 at the time of this offending and was immature.

The garda agreed with counsel that McGinley was identified from CCTV footage while putting petrol into the stolen car. He further agreed that there was no evidence that the car had been driven at excessive speeds or dangerously and that the car was returned to the owner.

Mr O’Higgins handed a medical report into the court which outlined that his client has dealt with his addiction issues, which was also supported by urine analysis. The report outlined that McGinley began engaging with a negative peer group at the age of 16.

Counsel said his client was raised by his mother and lacked positive male role models in his life.

He said McGinley has 15 convictions for taking cars, and these crimes were committed on impulse and not for financial gain.

He asked the court to consider suspending a portion of the sentences as a factor to hang over his client and not to extend his current prison sentence.