Man who came to Mayo for ‘a better life’ stole and crashed neighbour’s car

A man with more than 200 previous criminal convictions moved to Mayo for 'a better life’ but then stole and crashed a neighbour’s car.

Dean Joyce, aged 33, of Newcastle Manor Square, Newcastle, Co. Dublin, appeared before Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded guilty to stealing the car, theft, and motoring offences.

The court was told that on January 16, 2024, Joyce took a vehicle from outside a property at Riverwalk, Crossmolina.

On the same date, he stole items valued at €500 from Sports Direct in Ballina. He also stole goods worth €405 from Tesco in Ballina.

Garda Derek McDonnell told the court that the car was reported stolen at 9.40 p.m. The vehicle was recovered at 10.30 p.m. following a two-car collision at Lough Talt on the Mayo-Sligo border.

Joyce had exited the car but was discovered close to a water treatment plant in the area.

The injured party told gardaí that the car keys were taken from the hallway of his home but Joyce maintained the keys were in the front door.

In a victim impact statement, the car’s owner said his family’s “sense of safety has been shattered” since the crime. He said his wedding ring was on the car keys and he never got it back.

Joyce, a father-of-six, was renting a nearby property in Crossmolina at the time. His partner and children left the residence soon after this incident.

Joyce, who has 219 previous convictions, is in custody on another matter until June 2027.

The court heard he lost his mother at the age of 13 and his father at 15.

His mother was a heroin addict who died from cancer and he lost his father to drink and drugs. His offending began at the age of 12 and he has spent a significant period of his life in prison and much of his youth in State care.

In a letter of apology to the court, Joyce stated that he “moved to Crossmolina to start a better life outside of Dublin but drink and drugs ruined that."

The court heard he was on drugs when he took the car and was looking for more when the crash happened. Joyce does not remember crashing the car.

Judge Eoin Garavan said it was a “rather tragic case", noting the man’s chaotic childhood.

The judge imposed a prison sentence of three years and eight months.

* Funded under the Courts Reporting Scheme.