Man jailed for 18 months for attempted carjacking while walking his dog

A man has received a two-year sentence with six months suspended for a “ham-fisted and deeply frightening” attempt to steal a car in which a woman was sitting.Michael Doran (40) was walking his dog across the forecourt of the Circle K petrol station at Belgard, Tallaght, when he got into the car and tried to drive off.The car jolted back and forth, causing damage to the car door as it struck part of the petrol pump structure.The woman, who was waiting for her husband to pay for fuel, pulled up the handbrake and grabbed the car keys, a Garda witness told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.READ MOREWhen her husband returned he held on to Doran until gardaí arrived at the scene. The offence took place just after 9am on February 2nd.Doran was so intoxicated that he could not be interviewed until that evening. He said he didn’t remember most of the incident but identified himself on CCTV footage.He said he felt ashamed of his actions and wanted to apologise to the woman. He said he didn’t know what came over him.When asked how the woman must have felt, he said she must have been terrified that “a lunatic, out of his brains” was getting into the car beside her.Doran, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking possession of a vehicle.He was under a suspended sentence at the time having received a prison term of five years with one year suspended in 2022 for robbery.Doran’s 51 previous convictions include a number for robbery and car theft, assaults, and one for escaping from lawful custody.Rebecca Smith, defending, told the court her client has a long-standing drug addiction, but that since going into custody on this offence, he has been clean of drugs.Judge Orla Crowe said that this was an opportunistic and ham-fisted offence which must have been deeply frightening for the injured party.She said she accepted Doran was genuinely remorseful and ashamed of his actions.She said drug addiction was at the root of his crimes. She said there was evidence that he was doing well while in custody.She noted Doran had entered an early guilty plea. She imposed a two-year prison term but suspended the last six months on condition that he engage with the Probation Service for 18 months after his release.