A CORK city man who denied being involved in the unauthorised taking of a Mercedes in Kinsale was seen on CTTV leading the car out of the town in the early hours of the morning, a court heard.

Jamie O’Connell (20) of Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork city contested the charge of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle at Bandon District Court.

Det Gda Nigel Whelton told Judge Joanne Carroll that on January 24^th 2024 a number of cars were broken into in housing estates around the town with various items including loose change were stolen from them.

‘The most significant was the unauthorised taking of a Mercedes saloon car from a house in Kinsale Manor. CCTV was harnessed and it picked up the car leaving Kinsale and heading towards Belgooly which was the last sighting of the car,’ said Det Ga Whelton.

He said that following their enquiries a Ford Focus car could be seen to be leading the car out of Kinsale. It had N plates on both the front and back with some defective lights.

‘On January 29^th 2024 Det Gda Hugh Byrne, Det Gda Manus O’Donnell and myself were on mobile patrol at Harbour View in Knocknaheeny when I noticed the accused passing by in a navy Ford Focus. I stopped and spoke to Mr O’Connell who was driving the car and told him the car was of interest to us and was involved in criminality in Kinsale earlier that month.’

The car was seized and taken to the garda compound and Det Gda Whelton took pictures of it.

The court heard that on February 1^st 2024 gardaí in Cork city came across the stolen Mercedes after it was abandoned in Shankiel in Cork city.

Det Gda Whelton said he met the accused by appointment on May 18^th 2024 and arrested him and he made no reply to the charge and he was then convened to Bandon Garda Station.

Memos of two interviews with the accused were read out in court where he said in one: ‘I did not steal a car and I had no involvement in it.’

Mr O’Connell said that he was asked to give someone a spin down to Kinsale and didn’t get out of the car. He said the people were ‘lucky dipping’ and trying the doors of cars to see if they were open and take small change from them.

He denied he was leading the stolen car out of Kinsale and signalling several times to warn the driver of the car at around 5am.

Det Gda Whelton put it to Mr O’Connell that he was involved in the taking of the Mercedes and that it was a joint enterprise as CCTV showed him leading out the stolen car out of Kinsale.

Defence solicitor Myra Dinneen said the registration of the Mercedes cannot be identified from CCTV and said gardaí couldn’t be sure it was the same car that was stolen.

However, Det Gda Whelton said from their enquiries, photos and the timeline that they are satisfied it was the car that was stolen.

CCTV footage of both cars travelling out of Kinsale were then shown in court.

Ms Dinneen added that there was no evidence on her client’s phone of anything related to the theft of a car.

‘The only evidence the gardaí have is circumstantial. My client was driving in Kinsale that night and he did not steal the car,’ said Ms Dineen, who sought direction from Judge Carroll.

She said the State must definitely link her client to the stolen car.

‘We have no proof of anything else and there are no fingerprints to link my client to the charge,’ she added.

However, Judge Carroll did not accede to her application and said that Mr O’Connell had a case to answer for and she was satisfied that he was assisting the stolen car’s exit out of Kinsale.

Giving evidence in court Mr O’Connell said he couldn’t explain the signalling and all he was asked was to give someone a spin to Kinsale.

‘I won’t give names and I’ve no involvement in robbing. I got paid to give a spin,’ he said.

Judge Carroll said that if he got paid then he knew it was not for a lawful purpose. Ms Dinneen said her has addiction issues and was homeless for a period.

Judge Carroll convicted him of the offence and said she was satisfied that he assisted the driver of the stolen Mercedes.

She directed that a probation report be prepared and she remanded him on bail to appear in court again on July 20^th.