Serial offender who left businessman to die during car theft was involved in earlier crime spree, court hears

Keith McCormick, aged 23, of addresses in Dublin, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on charges arising from a series of offences committed between September 2020 and May 2021. He pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply, burglary, unlawful use of a vehicle, possession of stolen property, and driving without a licence or insurance. McCormick has 44 previous convictions including theft and burglary. In February 2024, he received a three-year and two-month sentence, with twelve months suspended, for his involvement in a crime spree that resulted in a death on 23 January 2022. The court heard that McCormick's earliest release date is June 2027. The current proceedings relate to separate incidents including a cocaine discovery in May 2020, car thefts in Mount Merrion and Templeogue, burglaries in Leopardstown, and the unlawful taking of a vehicle in Clondalkin in May 2022. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned sentencing for finalisation on 27 November.