Teen in Jobstown water protest can avoid sentence

A 16-year-old boy has been given a chance to avoid a six-month sentence after he admitted getting caught up in violence at the Jobstown protest last year.

Tánaiste Joan Burton and her entourage were allegedly trapped in a car following a graduation just after midday on November 15 at An Cosan education facility in Jobstown, in Tallaght. An anti-Irish Waterdemonstration was held which delayed her for about two hours.

Gardaí allege protesters surrounded the car, tried to “get in at” the Labour leader and there were a number of violent incidents.

In the boy’s case yesterday at the Dublin Children’s Court, Judge John O’Connor noted that the teenager, who had been on drugs, has expressed regret and had recently shown a willingness to engage with the Probation Service. He deferred sentencing until March to allow the teenager remain under further supervision.

He told the boy, who has “significant behavioural” problems that if he continued to co-operate he will be sentenced to a period of probation supervision but failure to do so would result in a six-month sentence.

The boy, now aged 16, was in court with his mother and a grandparent. After pleading guilty to criminal damage to the rear window of unmarked garda car and violent disorder charges, the court heard he has prior convictions for theft and is currently serving a sentence that will expire in January.