Man who led gardaí on high-speed chase through Offaly during lockdown is sentenced

A man who took off at speed at a Covid checkpoint in Offaly during lockdown over three years ago was later involved in a 90 kilometre high speed chase with gardaí.

Alex Almajanu (23) was initially stopped by gardaí at a checkpoint in County Clare on April 25, 2020 at 5.20pm. He told officers there that he was travelling from Dublin to check on a horse that was in foal in Limerick. Almajanu was a passenger in that vehicle and there were two additional passengers along with the driver in that car.

All occupants were from different households and gardaí were not satisfied with the accounts they had given. At that time, Ireland was in full lockdown and people were not permitted to travel further than two kilometres from their home.

Garda Conor Shields told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that three hours later, while he and a colleague were manning a checkpoint in Tullamore, Co Offaly, he was notified that a man driving an Audi A4 had driven off at speed from a covid checkpoint in Birr, also County Offaly.

Almajanu was the driver of that vehicle and he had just told officers at that checkpoint that he was in Birr to visit his grandmother.

He provided an address that didn’t exist in that locality and, when the garda asked him for his driving license, Almajanu leaned over, as if to access the glovebox of the vehicle but instead drove off at speed in the direction of Tullamore.

Gda Shields said that minutes after he was alerted to the fact that Almajanu had driven off at speed from Birr, he saw the same car approaching the checkpoint he was manning.

He said he and his colleague indicated to the driver to stop the vehicle but the driver continued at speed towards the checkpoint and both gardaí had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.

Gda Shields said he then got into his patrol car to follow Almajanu, which resulted in a high-speed chase.

The garda said at one point as Almajanu was driving towards Kilbeggan in County Westmeath, Gda Shields was driving at 200 km/hr in an attempt to keep up with the Audi.

Gda Shields outlined incidents of dangerous driving including Almajanu overtaking another vehicle at speed on a bend and approaching roundabouts at speed without giving way to other vehicles.

Gda Shields said Almajanu changed the direction he was driving, heading back towards Dublin and the pursuit continued with the man continuing to drive at speeds of 160 km/hr in an attempt to evade gardaí.

He told Ms Stuart that the garda armed support unit became involved in the pursuit at around Enfield, County Meath on the M4 motorway.

A stinger was later deployed around junction five after Almajanu drove onto the N4 heading towards the M50. This resulted in two tyres being deflated in quick succession on the vehicle but Almajanu continued to drive at speed.

Gda Shields said shortly after the flyover on the M50, Almajanu struck a garda patrol car causing the pursuit to come to an end. He was arrested at the scene.

It was confirmed that just over €13,000 worth of damage was caused to the garda patrol car.

Almajanu, of Cherry Orchard Court, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to endangerment, two breaches of Covid regulations, dangerous driving, not holding a driver’s license and criminal damage on the basis of recklessness on April 25, 2020.

Judge Orla Crowe said these “multiple acts of dangerous driving” were carried out at a time when “the country was at the highest level of lockdown and in this context this man was in County Clare with three other people before he drove across the midlands”.

She said “public resources had to be expended on this man on this day” at a time when the “country was in crisis”.

The judge said people put themselves at risk in a bid to stop Almajanu but acknowledged that he has since dealt with his drug addiction and has become a father.

She said the offences warranted a headline sentence of three years before she imposed a sentence of two years and three months having taken into account his mitigation.

Judge Crowe said she had decided to give Almajanu a chance, adding that “he appears to have settled down in life”. She suspended the entire sentence for three years on the condition that he engage with the Probation Service for 12 months. She also disqualified Almajanu from driving for five years.

Keith Spencer BL defending said his client was taking drugs, including prescription medication at the time of the offences. He is now drug free and cares for his nine-month-old daughter while his partner works.

Mr Spencer said “a lack of consequential thinking and panic came together” and caused Almajanu to continue driving that day when he should have stopped.

He said his client acknowledges that his driving that day was “deplorable” and that he “created a substantial risk” to others.

“His thinking was very clouded and he had no good reason to be in violation of the restrictions,” Mr Spencer said.

He said Almajanu came from a good family but was “led astray” by older people in his locality at a young age which led him to leaving school at a young age and into drug addiction.

Mr Spencer said with the help of “a number of agencies” his client is now drug free.