Man who stole and crashed €80,000 car to get home after day out with partner jailed, Some Day out??

Addressing the girlfriend of the accused in court, the judge advised: “Maybe you could do better for yourself “A Dublin man who stole a car in order to get home from a day out with his girlfriend in Greystones, Co Wicklow before crashing it and trying to hijack another vehicle has been jailed for five and half years.

Alan Melia, 31, of Cherry Orchard Avenue, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised taking of a vehicle as well as causing criminal damage to it to the value of €80,000 on February 9, 2024. He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of attempting to hijack another vehicle on the same date.

His girlfriend, Jade Burns, 21, of Beatty Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, separately pleaded guilty to charges of trespass and allowing herself to be carried in a stolen vehicle. A sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court heard that Melia had taken a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser from the driveway of a house at Blacklion, Greystones, Co Wicklow at around 7.30pm on the evening in question before crashing it a short distance away on Killincarrig Road, Greystones .Garda witnesses described how Melia drove forward and crashed the vehicle into a garden wall with Burns in the passenger seat after the owner of the vehicle, his wife and another male had attempted to stop him driving away. They told prosecution counsel, James Kelly BL, that the other male was struck by an open passenger door as Melia then reversed out of the driveway.

However, the owner of the Land Cruiser managed to get Burns out of the passenger seat from the vehicle before Melia made his getaway. The court heard he appeared to have lost control a short distance away and crashed into an ESB pole while driving “at significant speed”.

Gardaí said that Melia then attempted to hijack another vehicle from an eyewitness who had stopped his vehicle to assist the accused, thinking he might have been seriously injured. Evidence was given that Melia jumped into the rear seat of a white Mercedes-Benz before trying to climb into the driver’s seat. A struggle ensued between the accused and the driver, who managed to get out of the car with the keys of the vehicle.