‘glazed eyes’ | 

Van driver ‘dragged’ Garda 20m and hit other officer before high-speed chase, court told

Nebojsa Rasic, with an address at Scarlett Crescent, Drogheda, Co Lough, was charged with seven counts of dangerous driving

Sat 6 Jan 2024 at 17:23

A van driver “dragged” a Garda for 20 metres, and a second officer was struck before a lengthy high-speed traffic pursuit across north Dublin, a court has heard.

Nebojsa Rasic, 25, with an address at Scarlett Crescent, Drogheda, Co Lough, was charged with seven counts of dangerous driving as well as possessing about €20,000 of cannabis following the incident on Friday.

He was denied bail by Judge Paula Murphy at Dublin District Court on Saturday.

Garda Sergeant Niall Carolan told the court that Rasic, who worked for a distribution company, “made no reply” when charged. The sergeant objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case.

The court heard he and another Garda were on beat near Spencer Dock Bridge when their attention was drawn to a white 2012-reg Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van that “nearly hit people crossing the road”.

They approached, but the driver “refused to engage” and suddenly “sped away”. The van struck the sergeant’s colleague “and dragged him 20 metres” before he fell to the ground on Spencer Dock Bridge.

Gardai carried out an “extensive” search. About 20 minutes later, an officer in an unmarked car allegedly spotted it entering the Port tunnel and followed it. Additional units caught up with the van, which continued northbound.

However, it was caught up in a traffic jam because a Dublin Fire Brigade team was attending to an unrelated collision.

Garda Sergeant Carolan said he attempted to speak to the driver again but was ignored.

The contested bail hearing was told the driver spotted a gap and started moving again, at which point he struck another Garda.

Garda Sergeant Carolan alleged the driver then led them on a lengthy chase across north Dublin and parts of Co Meath for close to an hour before the van halted.

The dangerous driving incidents allegedly occurred at Sheriff Street, Naul Road, R122, Naul, Stamullen, on the R138 road and the M1 motorway.

The officer dragged along the bridge was taken to hospital.

It was claimed that Mr Rasic had €5,620 in cash and about €1,000 worth of cannabis in the van.

The court heard he was interviewed at Store Street Garda station and primarily made no comment. Meanwhile, officers searched his home and found a kilo of suspected cannabis in his bedroom.

The defence contended that others lived at that property and there was no evidence in the bail hearing to confirm Mr Rasic lived there.

A file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP); Sergeant Carolan said further charges were anticipated because gardai and the public were endangered during the high-speed pursuit.

He maintained the defendant was agitated, and his eyes appeared “glazed” when arrested.

Cross-examined by defence solicitor Michael Byrne, the sergeant agreed that the accused was not charged over the suspected drugs in the van but rather the seizure at his home address.

Questioned further, the sergeant said the accused had claimed he had not intended to hurt anyone.

The defence said the reason for his agitation was because of a previous negative experience with gardai in which he claimed he was beaten.

Mr Byrne said his client worked for a distribution company, and the money recovered from the van was his savings built up over five or six months.

The defence contended that CCTV evidence showed the officer was dragged for 10 feet rather than 20 metres.

He said his client, who has to indicated a plea, had the presumption of innocence and asked the judge to note that he could be in prison for two years pending trial if refused bail.

However, Judge Murphy denied the application and remanded Mr Rasic in custody pending directions from the DPP to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Friday. Legal aid was granted.