Man jailed for trying to drive off in car with woman inside

By Declan Brennan

A recovering drug addict has received a two-year sentence with six months suspended for a “ham-fisted and deeply frightening” attempt to take a car in which a woman was sitting.

Michael Doran (40) was walking his dog across the forecourt of the Circle K petrol station at Belgard, Tallaght, south Dublin when he got into the car and tried to drive it off.

The car jolted back and forth, causing damage to the car door as it struck part of the petrol pump structure. The woman, who was waiting for her husband to pay for fuel, pulled up the handbrake and grabbed the car keys, a garda witness told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

When her husband returned, he held onto Doran until gardai arrived at the scene. The broad daylight offence took place just after nine in the morning on February 2 last.

Doran was so intoxicated that he could not be interviewed until that evening. He said he didn’t remember most of the incident but identified himself on CCTV footage.

He said he felt ashamed of his actions and wanted to apologise to the woman. He said he didn’t know what came over him and asked himself, “why in the name of God would I do that?”

When asked how the woman must have felt, he said she must have been terrified that “a lunatic, out of his brains” was getting into the car beside her.

Doran of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking possession of a vehicle. He was under a suspended sentence at the time having received a prison term of five years with one year suspended in 2022 for robbery.

Doran’s 51 previous convictions including a number for robbery and car theft, assaults and one for escaping from lawful custody.

Rebecca Smith BL, defending, told the court that her client has a long-standing drug addiction. She said that since going into custody on this offence, Doran has gotten clean of all drugs.

Judge Orla Crowe said that this was an opportunistic and ham-fisted offence which must have been deeply frightening for the injured party. She said she accepted that Doran was genuinely remorseful and ashamed of his actions.

She said that drug addiction was at the root of his crimes. She said there was evidence that he was doing well while in custody.

She noted that Doran had entered an early guilty plea. She imposed a two-year prison term but suspended for 18 months the last six months on condition that he engage with the Probation Service for 18 months after his release.