Teen tells court he believes stones were thrown at him because he was gay

By Sonya McLean

A teenager will be sentenced later for throwing a stone at another youth's head in what the victim felt was a gay attack.

The now 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named as he is a minor, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm in a Dublin suburb on July 17, 2016. He has 24 previous convictions for assault, theft, burglary, criminal damage and trespass.

The victim, a young actor who is also a juvenile, was left with a facial scar after a cut above his right eye needed 11 stitches.

Garda Eoin Brennan told Antonia Boyle BL, prosecuting, that the 16-year-old victim and his 11-year-old brother were walking their dog on a local green when the defendant and another youth came over.

The victim later told gardaí that the boys called him “a dope” and “a fag” and were saying he was gay. He tried to ignore them before he felt a stone hitting his head above his right eye.

Gda Brennan said “he fell backwards, got very dizzy and everything became very blurry”. The victim felt blood pouring down his face and managed to ring his parents. The other two youths ran off.

Gda Brennan said the victim was taken by ambulance to hospital and got stitches around his right eye and temple. He was kept in for six hours for observation.

He stated in a victim impact report read by Ms Boyle, that his scar was “a constant reminder that I was attacked because of my sexuality”.

“I live in fear simply because I am gay. I have no confidence in my looks because of the scar,” the victim said before he added that he is living with stress and anxiety. He said one day he tried to jump out in front of traffic.

The teenager said he believed he has lost out on a lot of potential acting jobs because of the scar. He had previously had some minor acting roles.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the case to later this month when she will set a date for sentence.

She said there were two “very fulsome reports” setting out the accused's personal history and the difficulties he has had, particularly with his mother.

She said the question was how his situation could be managed in the community before she asked the teenager directly if he would co-operate with the Probation Service. She noted that he previously had a problem with his probation officer.

“I think I've grown up since and am ready to stop acting like a kid,” the teenager replied.

Judge Greally said that the boy's previous convictions for “crimes of violence against both people and property” were serious risk factors.

“You are very close to the point that you are going to end up locked up in an adult prison. You have difficulties and you need to face up to them,” Judge Greally warned.

She remanded the teenager on continuing bail to July 25 next for mention when a sentence date will be set.

Gda Brennan agreed with Jane Murphy BL, defending, that her client, had not committed any further offences since his release from a juvenile detention centre last May.

He accepted that he has lived in a number of different care homes and was visiting his grandmother on the day of the attack.

Ms Murphy told Judge Greally that her client accepted he was responsible for throwing the stone that hit the victim and had since “expressed shock about how the injury escalated to the level of seriousness that it did”.