logo
Dublin teen accused of involvement in ‘sophisticated' plot to steal high value cars

Dublin teen accused of involvement in ‘sophisticated' plot to steal high value cars

Sunday World14-07-2025
BAIL DENIED |
Appearing at court by video link from police custody Moran, from Mourne Drive, Skerries, in Co. Dublin, was charged with six offences
Lisburn Magistrates Court
Refusing to grant bail to 19-year-old Paul Moran, District Judge Eamon King said that having heard how two high end cars were recovered by the Gardai after they were driven across the border, 'illustrates a degree of sophistication and organisation and planning.'
The judge told Lisburn Magistrates Court there seems to be 'the targeting of high value vehicles from this jurisdiction and then transported to the south and the impression that the court has is that this may be the tip of the iceberg.'
Appearing at court by video link from police custody Moran, from Mourne Drive, Skerries, in Co. Dublin, was charged with six offences, all alleged to have been committed on 11 July this year.
The 19-year-old faces charges of burglary of a property at Fairy Glen in Crossmaglen, theft of a VW Arteon, interfering with two other cars, handling a stolen Audi A3 and obstructing police.
Giving evidence during a contested application for bail, Detective Constable Duffin outlined how it was in the early hours of Friday when the sleeping residents of a home on Fairy Glen were awoken by a loud bang 'that sounded like the front door closing.'
The couple looked outside and as well as broken glass at the front door, they saw their silver VW Arteon being driven away, even though the keys were still inside.
A Nissan vehicle which was parked in the driveway had been 'rummaged through but nothing was stolen' from that car.
The court heard the stolen VW has since been recovered by Gardai in the Balbriggan area of Dublin, said the detective.
DC Duffin told the court a short time after that incident, the occupants of a property on Chapel View, also in Crossmaglen, were awoken by the sound of people outside.
Footage from the doorbell 'shows men in their driveway making some sort of mark to their car and trying to open the front window unsuccessfully.'
Around this time, a Citroën van, a Peugeot van and a silver Audi A3 drive past their home and the court heard that later that morning, the owner of the Peugeot van reported it had been stolen.
'There was no forced entry to his home' and he still has the keys to the van, said the officer, adding that the van has not yet been recovered.
On Friday morning, 'an occupant of Dundalk Road was alerted by locals of an incident and checked his property,' said DC Duffin who told the court that CCTV footage showed someone 'rummaging' through his Skoda car but again, nothing was taken.
The investigator revealed that due to a local WhatsApp group where alerts were shared about suspicious activity, residents had been checking their houses and properties.
At 05.40, the owners of a property on the Low Road 'noticed that their white Range Rover was parked in the driveway with the engine running' and watched on the footage as a hooded male got inti the driver's set while another vehicle 'rammed into the gates to force them open.'
Apart from the smashed gates, 'there were no signs of forced entry and the keys are still in the house,' said DC Duffin, adding that thanks to a tracker device in the Range Rover, the stolen vehicle was also recovered in the Balbriggan area of Dublin.
When officers spoke to the owner of the stolen Peugeot van, he told police he had found his driving licence lying on the ground beside an Audi A3, parked in an oil depot in Crossmaglen.
Police attended and having found the keys sitting on top of one of the wheels, Gardai have confirmed the Audi had been stolen from a house in Ardee the previous night.
Inside that stolen car, officers found a Nike backpack and that was found to contain Moran's passport, the court heard.
Moran and three others were arrested after local residents reported a suspicious VW Golf in the area and while two have been released on police bail pending further enquiries, one remains in hospital having suffered difficulties related to their diabetes.
During police interviews, Moran refused to answer questions and DC Duffin said police were objecting to bail due to fears of further offending and that he would not turn up to court.
Moran's defence solicitor submitted that with a proposed bail address to reside with a friend in Belfast, the defendant could be granted bail albeit with conditions such as tagging and reporting.
District Judge Eamon King disagreed however, citing the risks of further offending and Moran not turning for court appearances.
Remanding the teenager into custody, he adjourned the case to 6 August.
Lisburn Magistrates Court
News in 90 Seconds - Monday July 14th
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Son of '90s singer jailed for 10 years after message identified famous dad
Son of '90s singer jailed for 10 years after message identified famous dad

Irish Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Son of '90s singer jailed for 10 years after message identified famous dad

A 30-year-old drug dealer was put behind bars for 10 years after police tracked him down due to his famous dad. A team of specialist investigators identified him from messages about his musician father. An associate within their drug network even sent him a picture of his famous dad and made comments which confirmed their relationship. Thomas Hooton, the son of The Farm lead singer Peter Hooton, has been jailed and sentenced to 10 years and eight months for the supply of cocaine, ketamine, cannabis and heroin. The 30-year-old drug dealer, who had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply drugs, was using the name "Ownraptor" and quickly became a trusted broker of multi-million-pound drug deals. Thomas also wrote in messages that he was driving a black Audi A3 and his "arl fella", meaning his dad, had arranged the insurance. Thomas was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday. On the back of his arrest by Merseyside's Organised Crime Partnership in April this year, Thomas made the decision to plead guilty. Peter Hooton at a festival in 2016 (Image: West Lothian Courier) He had been using the messaging service EncroChat to broker his drug deals, which reportedly had the street value of an estimated £1.3 million (€1.49 million). Police were also able to detect that he had been using more than 40 names for contact and had also set up a county lines supply that covered Scotland, north-east and the south of England. A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: "At the very minimum, Hooton was involved in the supply of 42.5kg of cannabis, 3.25kg of heroin, 10kg of cocaine and 1kg of ketamine." They added: "His messages said he was in possession of around £400,000 (€458,000) and owed £258,000 (€295,000)." The offences which led to his arrest were reportedly between March 26 and June 4 five years ago. Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster said: "It's clear Hooton was involved in organised crime for a long time before he was charged. His criminal and geographical reach will have taken considerable time to establish. His drug supply operations were on an almost daily basis, they were sustained and spanned the UK working with high level criminals." EncroChat was deactivated in 2020 by a European investigation team. The Mirror has reached out to Peter Hooton for a comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

'He smelled rotten': Vile rapist jailed for sexually assaulting 3 girls
'He smelled rotten': Vile rapist jailed for sexually assaulting 3 girls

Irish Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

'He smelled rotten': Vile rapist jailed for sexually assaulting 3 girls

A vile predator and convicted rapist who sexually assaulted three young girls in County Donegal has been jailed. Louis Feeney, who has 85 previous convictions - for offences including rape and sexually assault - was handed a five-year prison sentence at Letterkenny Circuit Court. The 74-year-old, with an address at Killowen Street, Coleraine, subjected the three girls to incidents that caused 'very significant harm'. Feeney, who was extradited from Northern Ireland in March, is also facing sentence later this year over a large consignment of drugs 20 years ago. A car in which Feeney was the lone occupant was intercepted and Gardai located 1,840 grams of cocaine. The drugs were worth €128,000 at the time and the court heard would now have a potential street value of €200,000. In June of this year, Feeney pleaded guilty to a charge of being in possession of controlled drugs for unlawful sale or supply. Earlier in the year, Feeney - who has been in custody at Castlerea Prison since his arrest after being handed across the border by the PSNI - pleaded guilty to five sample counts of sexually assaulting young girls at various locations in Donegal. Judge Maguire said the incidents had a 'devastating impact' on the victims and continued to permeate and infect all aspects of their lives. He said: 'The harm done was very significant. The injured parties were very young and vulnerable, being of an age up to secondary school. 'Further sadness was the isolation they felt not knowing that the others were going through it.' When a brother of a victim asked Feeney for sweets he said the boy's sister would 'have to do something for me'. The boy asked what he meant and Feeney told him: 'She knows what I mean'. On another occasion, he offered a girl some money if she stayed where she was. Judge Maguire, who commended the victims for the 'powerful' impact statements submitted, said the assaults were predatory in nature and for Feeney's sexual gratification. Feeney has 85 previous convictions in Northern Ireland, including 23 relating to sexual crimes and some of which include sexual assault of a child. Feeney has also been convicted of rape and is on the Sex Offenders Register. Judge Maguire said Feeney doesn't appear to have anything near to full insight and protested at having a lack of memory. Noting that the maximum penalty on each count was five years, Judge Maguire determined that a proportionate global headline sentence was one of five years. He said that while Feeney did not cooperate in interviews, he did plead guilty. He said that Feeney was elderly 'but not so old that he is immediately at risk of dying in prison'. Having regard to the totality principle, Judge Maguire sentenced Feeney to five years in prison and said he was not suspending any portion. At a sentencing hearing earlier in the week, Feeney asked that he be able to attend via video link for the judgement. However, he was hauled before the court and stood in the dock to hear Judge Maguire deliver his judgement after the court consulted with the victims. In total, Feeney was charged with nine counts of sexual assault against three victims in Donegal on dates between 1993 and 2005. Feeney pleaded guilty to five counts on a full facts basis, while the other counts were taken into consideration. Detective Garda Robin Doyle outlined the case to State barrister Ms Fiona Crawford BL. One of the complainants told how she was 10 years old when one of the incidents occurred. Feeney placed his hand down her trousers and inside her underwear, touching her private parts with his hands. The court heard that the incident 'lasted for a few minutes'. The complainant told Gardai that it 'was weird' and recalled Feeney smelling of body odour and cigarettes. Another incident occurred at a time when the complainant was in secondary school. She recalled how Feeney rubbed her underwear before placing his hand inside. She told him to stop and he did not say anything in response, but continued to sexually assault her. Detective Garda Doyle told Ms Crawford that the complainant recalled being at another location when Feeney approached her from behind and placed his hand down the front of her trousers while 'rubbing himself against me'. 'He didn't talk or anything,' she told Gardai. She said that Feeney would get 'quite crabbit' if questioned and he would always carry on as if nothing happened. This complainant also outlined how Feeney rubbed himself up against her at another location and then placed his hand under her top. He proceeded to place his hand down her underwear and began to rub his fingers 'all over'. The woman told investigating Gardai that Feeney 'was getting a thrill from this' and she told how he kissed her on another occasion and she tried to push him away. This incident stuck with her in later years 'as the smell of him was rotten' she said. On a further occasion, Feeney approached the girl and placed his hand on her back, under her top, before moving it around and feeling her breasts. A second complainant told how Feeney rubbed her shoulders with cold hands and then placed his hands in the area around her breasts. When she nudged him to stop and started to walk away, Feeney offered her money to stay. Feeney later started to rub her shoulders again before kneeling down and putting a hand on her leg. The girl stood up and walked away at this stage. The court was told how a third complainant in the matter told Gardai how Feeney told her to lay down on a floor before getting on top of her. She said Feeney felt all around her body and then placed his hands inside her top and her underwear. She recalled 'the smell of fags' from Feeney, who sexually assaulted her on another occasion when he also placed a hand inside her clothing before stopping when he heard someone else approaching. When Detective Garda Doyle initially interviewed Feeney, he denied all of the allegations. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week The court heard victim impact statements from all three victims. One told how she felt that her innocence was robbed by Feeney and she is now filled with 'confusion and constant worry'. She said he took over her childhood and added: 'He robbed me of my childhood memories and my innocence. He had no right to take this from any child.' She added: 'It's not something that will go away. I have to live with this for the rest of my life.' A second victim said the assaults still have an effect, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 'I felt that my innocence was taken away from me very young and I no longer felt safe or protected,' she said. She recalled how she often tried to hide what had happened and covered it up. She told no-one as she felt shame and said: 'There was always the shadow of the hidden secret.' The woman recalled having difficulty connecting emotionally and how it affected many more aspects of her life. 'I carried a sense of confusion,' she said. 'I spent many years thinking about coming forward and opening up, but I was overwhelmed by the shame and the sorrow it would bring.' Her innocence and security were replaced by anxiety and sadness, which shaped the way she saw both herself and the world around her. 'The memories of the abuse haunt me,' she said. Asked by his barrister, Mr Peter Nolan BL, if he had anything to say, Feeney said from the witness box: 'I am sorry for giving you all the trouble. I am sorry.' Mr Nolan said his client has a long and very serious criminal history. 'We are not shying away from that in any shape or form,' Mr Nolan said. He said the probation and welfare report contained 'little redemption' and Feeney has been placed as a high risk of reoffending. The probation report added that Feeney has 'demonstrated little to no regard' for his victims or the effects that his crimes have had. Feeney, who has been deemed unsuitable for community service, was adopted at a young age having spent the first four years of his life in a children's home, the court heard. He has never been able to trace his birth parents. The last he saw of a brother was at his adopted mother's funeral in 1998 and Feeney has lived between hostels and boarding houses. Mr Nolan said Feeney secured housing in 2011 and was there until his incarceration. The court was told that Feeney did have some history of employment, including as a milkman, a factory worker and a council labourer while he was a 'roadie' for a show band for a period of time. Mr Nolan asked Judge Maguire to take account of Feeney's age and for 'whatever leniency' he could give. 'He will probably die in prison,' Mr Nolan said with reference to the pending drugs charge. 'Light at the end of the tunnel for this 74-year-old man, I don't think it's possible.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed
Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed

The Irish Sun

time2 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed

THE drug dealer son of an iconic '90s singer has been jailed after being identified in texts linked to his dad. Thomas Hooton, 30, was trusted to broker multi-million pound drug deals for organised criminals using an encrypted messaging service. 2 Thomas Hooton, 30, has been jailed for more than 10 years for his role in multi-million pound drug deals Credit: National Crime Agency 2 The criminal was identified after officers deciphered a number of clues which linked the drug dealer to his dad Peter Hooton - lead singer of The Farm Credit: Getty However, specialist officers were able to identify the criminal - who was using the name "Ownraptor" - by linking messages on the account to the identity of his dad Peter Hooton, 62, lead singer of The Farm. Today, the 30-year-old was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 10 years and eight months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. Specialist investigators had managed to nick the drug dealer after piecing together a number of clues about his identity - including pictures of his musician dad with the Champions League trophy. On one occasion, an associate sent Hooton a picture of his dad Peter and also made comments linking the criminal to him. Read More on UK News Hooton also spoke in messages about driving a Black Audi A3 and that his 'arl fella'' arranged his insurance for him. Official checks then showed Peter Hooton had insured a black Audi A3 for his son. After being arrested by officers from Merseyside's Organised Crime Partnership in April, Hooton later pleaded guilty to the supply of a number of drugs. All in all, he had been messaging criminals on the service EncroChat to deal drugs with a wholesale value of around £1.3 million. Most read in The Sun The drug dealer had 41 different names for contacts within EncroChat and had a County Lines drug supply to criminals across Scotland as well as north-east and southern England. 'HIS DRUG SUPPLY OPERATIONS SPANNED THE UK, WORKING WITH HIGH LEVEL CRIMINALS' A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: "At the very minimum, Hooton was involved in the supply of 42.5kg of cannabis, 3.25kg of heroin, 10 kg of cocaine and 1kg of ketamine. "His messages said he was in possession of around £400,000 and owed £258,000." His offences were committed between March 26 and June 4 in 2020. Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster said: "It's clear Hooton was involved in organised crime for a long time before he was charged. "His criminal and geographical reach will have taken considerable time to establish. "His drug supply operations were on an almost daily basis, they were sustained and spanned the UK working with high level criminals."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store