Case No. 1918Hijacking a vehicle, abduction of a child · Co. Dublin · 23 Sep 2024
Noel Ryan sentenced to seven years for hijacking car with five-month-old baby in Dublin
Noel Ryan, 48, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to hijacking a vehicle and abduction of a child following an incident at Mountjoy Square, Dublin, on 23 September 2024, in which he drove off with a five-month-old baby in the back seat while the mother was dragged along the car door.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced4 Apr
4 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports59 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe child was left alone in the car for approximately three hours. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe mother was dragged as Ryan drove off and was holding onto the car door. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRyan had used a credit card belonging to the mother and was identified from shop CCTV. (irishtimes.com)
- whatIn his sixth interview, Ryan admitted he did not know there was a child in the car and went to Clarence Street to get a friend to ring the gardaí. (irishtimes.com)
- whatEric Thomas, 49, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of sexual assault and false imprisonment. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim was a 14 or 15-year-old boy at the time of the offence. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe judge described the assault as a gross violation of the body of a child and the violation of his childhood innocence. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAggravating factors included that Thomas deliberately lured a child, force was used to remove his clothing, the impact on the injured party, and previous convictions. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThomas worked at a chipper and a laundrette and became friendly with the boy's father. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThomas invited the boy into a laundrette on Parnell Street, brought him into a back office, and locked the door. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThomas had a smile on his face during the sexual assault. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim said he was a happy class clown at 14 and 15 before the assault changed everything. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim told Thomas in court that whatever pain he goes through will not be half what the victim has gone through. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGarda Eoghan McGowan pleaded guilty to assaulting a male teenager (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe victim was 17 years old at the time of the incident (irishmirror.ie)
- whatTwo other gardai were charged over the same incident (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe incident was caught on CCTV and part of it was played in court (irishmirror.ie)
- whatNoel Ryan, 48, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to one count of hijacking a vehicle and one count of abduction of a child. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe mother was setting up her child buggy at the boot of her car when she heard the car door close. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatCCTV footage showed the woman holding onto the car door as Ryan drove off and she was dragged until she could no longer hold on. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRyan used the mother's credit card in a shop nearby 12 minutes after the car was taken. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred at Mountjoy Square in north Dublin city. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe offence took place at an address on Parnell Street, Dublin 1. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident took place on Granby Place, close to the Rotunda Hospital in central Dublin (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident happened at Mountjoy Square, north inner city Dublin. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe offence occurred on an unknown date between January 2004 and July 2006. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred in January 2023 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred on 23 September 2024. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe car was taken at 1:45 pm. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe car was located by gardaí at 4 pm, approximately three hours after it was taken. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationAlmost every Garda car in Dublin was on alert and air support was deployed to find the car. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationRyan was arrested the following day and interviewed six times in total. (irishtimes.com, dublinlive.ie)
- investigationAll three officers were charged after an investigation by GSOC, now renamed Fiosrú (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeNoel Ryan pleaded guilty to one count of hijacking a vehicle and one count of abduction of a child. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeOne other garda faces a charge of assaulting the same teenager (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeThe other garda is alleged to have falsely imprisoned the teenager (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtDetective Garda Lynsey Hennelly gave evidence for the prosecution, represented by Brian Storan, BL. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtDavid Perry, BL, represented the defence. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe garda immediately appealed the sentence to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe two other gardai's cases are due for trial at Dublin District Court in July (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceRyan was sentenced to seven years in prison backdated to when he went into custody. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJudge Orla Crowe sentenced Thomas to five years in prison. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe final 12 months of the sentence were suspended for two years with Probation Services supervision. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceJudge Michele Finan gave a four-month jail sentence with half suspended at Dublin District Court (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceGarda McGowan is to pay the victim €5,000 in compensation (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceJudge Martin Nolan set a headline sentence of nine and a half years and, after considering a mitigating factor, sentenced Ryan to seven years in prison backdated to when he went into custody. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherRyan has 41 previous convictions including for theft, aggravated burglary, road traffic matters and misuse of drugs. (irishtimes.com, dublinlive.ie)
- otherJudge Nolan said he understood Ryan was in the throes of addiction but that he put himself in that position. (irishtimes.com)
- otherDefence counsel John Byrne SC said Ryan offered a heartfelt apology and there was no sinister motive. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThomas has 34 previous convictions, including ten for sexual assault and four for defilement of young boys. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThomas was previously sentenced to a combined 19 years. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThomas was sleeping rough near Dublin Airport after being released from prison late last year until he went into custody on this matter. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThomas is now an enhanced prisoner who works in the prison kitchen. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGarda McGowan has been suspended (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe teenager had just come from the Rotunda Hospital where his partner was having a baby (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe teenager was a minor at the time but is now an adult (irishmirror.ie)
- otherIn his sixth interview, Ryan admitted he did not know there was a child in the car and said he went to Clarence Street to get a friend to ring the gardaí. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherJudge Nolan said the child was left by itself for the guts of three hours and that Ryan was reckless in regard to the child. (dublinlive.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 5 Apr2025Man sentenced to prison for hijacking car with five-month-old baby in back
Sentencing report detailing the incident, the search for the car and baby, Ryan's admissions in interview, and victim impact statements from both parents.
suspect, Noel Ryan, 48, male, named, irish (judged from name)Noel Ryanvictim, femalevictim, 5 months - 5 Apr2025Garda given two month jail term after he admitted assaulting teenager on street
Details the sentencing, immediate appeal, the two other gardai charged (one for assault, one for false imprisonment), the GSOC/Fiosrú investigation, the €5,000 compensation order, and the circumstances of the incident (teenager had just left Rotunda Hospital where his partner was having a baby).
suspect, Eoghan McGowan, male, named, irish (judged from name)Eoghan McGowanvictim, 17, male - 4 Apr2025'You don’t scare me' - Powerful scenes in court as man stares down abuser
Sentencing report. Judge Orla Crowe described the assault as 'a gross violation of the body of a child and the violation of his childhood innocence.' The victim, now an adult, read a victim impact statement in court and told Thomas 'you don't scare me anymore.' Thomas has 34 previous convictions including ten for sexual assault and four for defilement of young boys, and had previously served a combined 19 years.
victim, 14-15, maleconvicted, Eric Thomas, 49, male, named, irish (judged from name)Eric Thomas - 4 Apr2025Dublin man jailed for seven years for hijacking car with baby inside
Provides full sentencing details including victim impact statements from both parents, CCTV evidence of the mother being dragged, Ryan's 41 previous convictions, the search and recovery of the car in an alley, Ryan's admission in his sixth interview, and Judge Martin Nolan's comments on the case.
victim, 5 monthsvictim, femalevictim, maleconvicted, Noel Ryan, 48, male, named, irish (judged from name)Noel Ryan