Case against nine-year-old mugging suspect dropped

A nine-year-old schoolboy, who was suspected of mugging two teenagers, walked free from court today after a robbery charge against him was dropped.

The four foot boy was brought into the Dublin Children’s Court and shown to the defendant’s bench, where he was barely visible during the short hearing.

Garda Michelle McGuinness of Tallaght station told Judge Patrick Clyne that the Director of Public Prosecutions had ordered that the charge against the boy should be withdrawn.

Garda McGuinness said that the victims had withdrawn their statements against the boy. Judge Clyne consented to the application to drop the case.

The shaved headed boy, who was dressed in jeans, runners and a jumper, was supported in court by his father. He remained silent during the case and after the charge was withdrawn he then left the courthouse looking relieved.

Before court had started this morning he stood outside the building smoking a cigarette.

During the brief hearing, the court was told the boy was aged nine, at which the judge said: “He only looks about five".

He had been charged with charged with robbery of a mobile phone and an MP3 player from two teenagers, at the bus terminus, at Belgard Square, in Tallaght, on January 29 last.

The boy, who resides in a halting site, made his first court appearance on this charge last month which made him to the youngest child in recent years to face a criminal prosecution.

He had been arrested at Belgard Walk, in Tallaght, the same area where the alleged offence took place and several miles from his home, at 11.40 on the night of February 18 last.

The youngster’s father “was unclear as to his son’s exact date of birth,” the court had heard.

At the previous hearing a judge had said: “In principle, it is undesirable that a nine-year-old child should be before the criminal courts. If the child is so unruly and at risk, there seems there is a serious risk to his welfare, health and safety, section 16 of the Childcare Act 1991 requires that the Health Service Executive (HSE) intervene,” said Judge Early.

That judge had also told the boy’s father there was a heavy obligation on him to take care of his son at which the man put the blame on another boy for his son getting arrested.

Gardaí suspect the boy has been involved in six other similar robbery offences in Tallaght with victims ranging in ages, from 15 to 20.

The boy’s two brothers have frequently come before the Children’s Court in recent years and both have litanies of convictions - mainly for burglaries.

One of the brothers was first arrested when he was aged 11 and in the last four years been detained several times. He has accumulated nearly 50 convictions from courts in Dublin, Co. Clare, Co. Leitrim and Co Mayo.

Another brother, who is in his mid-teens, is currently being held in a detention centre. He also has a similar criminal record and at one stage gardaí believed he was involved in 60 per cent of burglaries in the Tallaght and Rathfarnham areas in Dublin, over a three month period in 2004.