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.
Yes, Budget 2025 will affect your living standards. Here’s how
Leo Varadkar: ‘All trends point towards Irish unification in the next few decades’
Man died after waiting 11 hours to be seen by doctor in Tallaght Hospital ED, inquest hears
Tánaiste says €1.4m cost of Government Buildings security hut is ‘ridiculous’
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