Teenager pleads guilty to breaking garda’s jaw

A Dublin teenager has pleaded guilty to breaking a garda’s jaw after he was stopped for driving illegally.

One garda suffered a broken jaw and his colleague was also seriously assaulted during the incident in Ballyfermot on September 1 last.

Judge John O’Connor adjourned the case until next month to allow time to prep-are a pre-sentence probation report on the 17-year-old.

He appeared at Dublin Children’s Court where he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm.

He denies charges for driving without a licence or insurance and a separate hearing date has been set for those allegations. The boy, who was accompanied to court by his parents, made no reply to the charges, the court has been told.

The court heard that when he was initially stopped driving a scrambler motorbike, he punched Garda Daniel Matthewson, who suffered a fractured jaw.

It was alleged the teen fled and Garda Trevor Mallon called to his home, where he was headbutted by the youth, who cannot be named because he is a minor.

The youth has no prior criminal convictions, Judge John O’Connor head.

Ann Sheridan, defending, said that a few weeks before the incident, the youth’s home had been raided by mistake by armed gardaí and this had affected him.