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Two cousins have been jailed for their role in the hijacking of a hotel courtesy minibus at Dublin Airport last year.
The Cavan Circuit Court heard that the robbery sparked a high-speed chase in five counties during which two Garda vehicles and one PSNI car were struck.
Stephen McDonagh (26) and John McDonagh (27), both from The Steeples, Navan, Co Meath, appeared before Judge John Aylmer via video link Friday for the Carlton Hotel minibus seized from outside the Dublin Airport Terminal 2 in January. 8 of 2020.
Three tourists, a Colombian citizen residing in Germany and two English teenagers returning from an exploration trip in the United States, were on the bus when the defendants found the keys in the ignition and headed down the M1 towards Belfast.
Stephen McDonagh previously pleaded guilty to six counts: one of illegally taking the minibus, three of false imprisonment, one of reckless endangerment of Gardaí and one of taking another vehicle at an address in Broomfield.
John McDonagh pleaded guilty to five counts: three of false imprisonment and two of knowingly being a passenger in a stolen vehicle.
Let out
Passengers got off near the CityNorth Hotel and Conference Center in Julianstown, about 30 minutes from Dublin Airport, and the minibus continued on the M1. The pair encountered Garda patrols in Balbriggan, who monitored the vehicle’s movements with the help of the Air Support Unit.
The court heard that the defendants were speeding the bus into Garda patrol vehicles attempting to stop them before exiting the highway near Dundalk.
The minibus collided with a Garda SUV on the N2 near Dundalk and, after crossing the border at Cullaville, collided with a PSNI car.
The cousins abandoned the vehicle after hitting a ditch in Broomfield and then stole a Seat Ibiza from outside a house. This car was used to ram a Garda vehicle that was chasing him, at which point the chase came to an end and the couple were arrested.
‘Bandits’
The three bus passengers later told Gardaí that being on the stolen bus was like being part of a television police chase. They described that the defendants had acted as “bandits” and said that the ordeal has had a lasting impact on their well-being.
The McDonagh’s lawyer said the seizure of the minibus was “opportunistic” in nature and there were no indications of violence or threats towards the passengers.
The judge sentenced John McDonagh to four years on each of the three counts of false imprisonment, four years for knowingly being a passenger on a stolen bus, and two and a half years for being transported in the stolen car.
He sentenced Stephen McDonagh to four years for illegally taking the minibus, four years for false imprisonment, five years for reckless endangering, and two and a half years for illegally taking a car.
All terms must be met at the same time and men were given credit for time already served.
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