Man drove away in Audi A4 car he came to test drive, Kildare court told

A vehicle which was put up for sale was driven away by a man who came to test it.

Before Naas District Court was Pardelian Rostas, 23, whose address was given as Mac Uilliam Parade, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

He was prosecuted for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle on January 20, 2024, at Moneen Drive, Athy.

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Sgt Mary Meade told the court that the Audi A4 car was put up for sale on the Facebook Marketplace social media platform.

She added that the defendant made contact, took the vehicle for a test drive “and drove it away.”

The car was recovered three days later and it was returned to the injured party.

The court heard that the defendant had 25 previous convictions in total. Some 20 of these occurred in the UK and all were for road traffic offences. The court also heard he had been previously disqualified.

The defendant was in custody at the time of the hearing and he told the court via video link from Castlerea Prison that he has a release date of August 2026.

Barrister Mark Gibbons said the defendant lives in Tallaght and has one child. He said it was a “nasty opportunistic offence.”

Mr Gibbons also said that the car was returned undamaged.

Judge Desmond Zaidan said the case merited a custodial sentence and he imposed 11 months in custody backdated to May 6, 2025.