A man charged with hijacking a car and the abduction of a five-month-old baby girl who was in the vehicle when it was taken “by force” in Dublin city centre has been remanded in custody.
Noel Ryan (47) appeared before Judge Gerard Jones at Dublin District Court on Thursday afternoon. Judge Jones heard the car was seized with the child in the back seat while the mother “was taking the buggy out of the boot” at Mountjoy Square West on Monday afternoon. The woman had just stepped out of the car, which was then taken at around 1.45pm.
Mr Ryan, of no fixed abode, was charged with abduction and car hijacking.
The incident led to gardaí issuing an urgent child rescue alert and a public appeal for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of the baby.
‘I’m hoping at least one girl who is on the fence about reporting her violent boyfriend ... will read about my case’
What Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens promised in 2020 - and how much they delivered
Ciara Mageean: ‘I just felt numb. It wasn’t even sadness, it was just emptiness’
Restaurateur Gráinne O’Keefe: I cut out sugar from my diet and here’s how it went
The car, with the child still in it, was found parked on North Richmond Street, Dublin 1, shortly after 4pm by a Garda unit on patrol. The baby was not injured and was reunited with her parents.
On Tuesday, gardaí arrested the accused, who was held at Mountjoy station. Shortly after 3pm on Thursday, he was charged with two offences at Mountjoy Square West on September 23rd: unlawful seizure of the car contrary to section 10 of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976, and taking the baby from lawful control of her parent, which comes under section 17 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
Mr Ryan remained silent during the proceedings and did not indicate a plea.
Det Gda Paul Griffin said Mr Ryan “made no reply to the charges after caution” and he was handed a copy of the charges.
The detective added that there were objections to bail, but defence solicitor Eoin Lysaght said his client was not making a bail application at this stage.
Judge Jones remanded Mr Ryan in custody to appear on October 3rd at Cloverhill District Court. He also ordered the defence to give gardaí 48 hours notice of any bail application. Legal aid was granted.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis