A local teenager who plead guilty to Taking a Conveyance was given a four-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, in the Magistrates’ Court yesterday (7 Sep).

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of Aggravated Vehicle Taking, for which he was sentenced to a further four weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

There was no separate penalty for other charges including No Insurance, Driving whilst Disqualified by Age and Driving without Care and Attention.

The court heard that, on 19 August 2022, a local woman had parked her motorcycle in the area of Zoca Flank and, unintentionally, had left the keys in the ignition. 

When she returned, the keys were missing and she needed to use a spare set. On 23 August 2022, she again parked her motorcycle in Zoca Flank but it was not there when she returned in the evening. She then reported its disappearance to police.

Later the same evening, she saw the motorcycle parked at Sir William Jackson Grove. It had sustained damage to its bodywork, lights and brake handles – in total, costing over €1,300 to repair.

However, officers were able to view CCTV footage from security cameras within Sir William Jackson Grove and they identified the juvenile who had been riding the motorcycle when it was parked. 

At the time, he was 16-years-old and, as such, disqualified through age and not in possession of the relevant insurance. 

In a separate incident which took place on 31 May 2023, police officers were able to identify the juvenile as he rode a different motorcycle along Europa Road. 

Later, when challenged by officers, he handed over the keys to the motorcycle. When checking, the officer discovered that the motorcycle was owned by a local man who had not given permission for anyone else to use it. Checks also revealed that the juvenile did not have a licence to ride the motorcycle and nor did he have the relevant insurance.