Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 22032Theft (unauthorised taking of vehicles) · Co. Kildare

Michael Deegan jailed for stealing Go Cars in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow

Michael Deegan, 37, of Tallaght, Dublin, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for four counts of taking Go Car rental vehicles without consent at locations in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow in October 2021, which he did to pay off a drug debt with a criminal organisation.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced7 Mar
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
20 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe keys to each rental vehicle were inside, allowing the person who broke in to drive away. (kildarenow.com)
  • whatDeegan was the driver, driving his car or his wife's car to locations where Go Cars were parked, before another man broke into them and stole them. (kildarenow.com)
  • whatDamage amounting to €3,000 was caused to one car and two vans. (kildarenow.com)
  • whatAnother van was never recovered, with a loss of €26,000 to the company. (kildarenow.com)
  • whereThe incidents occurred at locations in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. (kildarenow.com)
  • whereDeegan lives at Tymon North Green, Tallaght, Dublin. (kildarenow.com)
  • whenThe incidents occurred on various dates in October 2021. (kildarenow.com)
  • causeDeegan started taking drugs and ran up a drug debt with a criminal organisation. (kildarenow.com)
  • causeDeegan was made to pay off the debt by driving third parties around to steal the Go Car vehicles. (kildarenow.com)
  • investigationThe car and two vans were recovered by gardaí. (kildarenow.com)
  • investigationDeegan was tracked down by gardaí after the registrations of the cars he was driving were linked to him and his wife. (kildarenow.com)
  • chargeMichael Deegan pleaded guilty to four counts of taking Go Car vehicles without consent. (kildarenow.com)
  • courtJudge Martin Nolan sentenced Deegan, accepting his guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí and lack of significant criminal record as mitigation. (kildarenow.com)
  • courtThe judge said he would have considered a non-custodial term but for the fact that Deegan engaged in the activity on four occasions. (kildarenow.com)
  • courtAoife McNickle BL was prosecuting. (kildarenow.com)
  • sentenceDeegan was handed an 18-month sentence with no portion suspended. (kildarenow.com)
  • otherDeegan has seven previous convictions for road traffic offences. (kildarenow.com)
  • otherDeegan had a violent and abusive childhood but managed to avoid entering criminality in his youth. (kildarenow.com)
  • otherDeegan left home at 16 and met his wife at a young age. (kildarenow.com)
  • otherDeegan worked in the building industry. (kildarenow.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 7 Mar2023
    Sentencedkildarenow.com, first report
    Man jailed for stealing Go Cars in Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow

    Reports the sentencing of Michael Deegan to 18 months for four counts of taking Go Car vehicles without consent, including details of the operation, the drug-debt motive, the unrecovered van, and Judge Nolan's reasoning for a custodial term.

    convicted, Michael Deegan, 37, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Deegansuspect, male