Limerick teenager broke into dozens of cars during status red weather warning

A TEENAGE boy will be sentenced next week after he admitted smashing the windows of more than a dozen parked cars during a status-red weather alert earlier this year.

The 16-year-old, who is from the Prospect area of the city, pleaded guilty to almost 50 separate charges when he appeared before a sitting of the children’s court on Tuesday. 

The youth, who was aged 15 at the time, had previously pleaded guilty to a large number of charges relating to a spate of similar offences which happened around the same time.

Judge Marian O’Leary was told 19 of the charges related to damage which was caused to cars which were parked at Colbert Station during Storm Emma last March.

Inspector Dermot O’Connor said thousands of euro worth of damage was caused to a variety of makes and models including a BMW X1, a VW Golf, a Mazda 323, a Ford Focus and a Skoda Octavia.

A small quantity of cash, he said, was taken from one of the cars.

The defendant, who can’t be named because of his age, has also admitted damaging and breaking into a large number of other parked cars at different locations in the city on dates in February and March.

The court was told a significant amount of damage was caused and various property – including mobile phones and cash - was taken.

Another charge before the court relates to the recovery of a stolen lawnmower and angle grinder during a search of the teenager’s home on January 21, last.

Having recorded the defendant’s guilty pleas, Judge O’Leary commented she would “need a day off” to go through the various charges and the probation report prepared for the court.

Adjourning the matter to next week for sentence, she noted there is “no chance” of compensation being paid by the defendant.