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Man caught with invalidated Leap card smashed Luas window with ‘fast gas’ canister

Today at 06:30

A passenger who was being escorted off a Luas tram for having an invalidated Leap card became aggressive and threw a “fast gas” canister at the tram window, breaking it.

Keith Curley (41) caused more than €1,000 worth of damage in the incident that happened during a petty crime “spree” in Dublin city centre.

Judge Bryan Smyth jailed him for eight months.

Curley, with an address at Fr Peter McVerry’s Trust, St Stephen’s Green, pleaded guilty to charges including criminal damage and possession of stolen property.

Dublin District Court heard that gardaí were called to the Dawson Street Luas stop on October 8 last year when Curley had been detained by security.

When inspecting his Leap card on the tram, staff discovered it was invalidated, the court heard.

When security tried to take him off the tram, Curley threw a “fast gas” canister at the window, causing damage valued at €1,173.

Curley also admitted charges following other incidents in the city centre.

He was intoxicated and aggressive at Gardiner Street on March 14, 2020, where gardaí found him “sweating profusely” with dilated pupils and stumbling out onto the road. He did not seem to know where he was going and tried to resist arrest, throwing his hands up.

Gardaí stopped and searched him at Liffey Street Lower on October 15 last year.

Curley had two phones and when given opportunities to enter a PIN on one, he failed to open it.

It had a screensaver with young children who were not Curley’s.

He appeared to discard items as he ran from gardaí in the north city centre last ­October 14 and when stopped and searched, he had a stolen Revolut card.

Curley had 12 previous convictions.

He claimed he had been pulled off the tram, ended up in an ambulance and with 12 staples to his head. That incident “wasn’t entirely as portrayed” in the summary of evidence, his solicitor Tracy Horan said.

Judge Smyth said he did not know the other side of the story, but the accused had caused damage.

Curley had “come late to getting himself into this kind of bother,” Ms Horan said.

After his marriage broke down, he ended up in hostels and living on the streets in the city centre, using alcohol and drugs.

He was now “out the other side of it” and living a more stable life.