14-year-old threatened Fine Gael candidate

A 14-year-old boy threatened a Fine Gael general election candidate and former Lord Mayor of Dublin that he would “petrol bomb her gaff” and “get her girls,” a court heard yesterday.

Dublin South Central General Election candidate, Councillor Catherine Byrne, who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2005 to 2006, was subjected to a tirade of threats from the young boy after she left a community development meeting, the Dublin Children’s Court heard.

The young schoolboy pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace, under the Public Order Act, at Bulfin Road, south Dublin, on October 16 last.

Garda Inspector Paul Hogan, of Kilmainham Station, told Judge Bryan Smyth he had been at a meeting of the St Michael’s Estate regeneration board which the councillor had also attended.

When the meeting ended, Councillor Byrne, who is a member of the Dublin City Council for the South West Inner City Ward, left shortly before Inspector Hogan.

“I met her on Bulfin Road where she told me that she had been threatened by the accused,” Inspector Hogan said.

He told her: “I know where you live, I’ll petrol bomb your gaff, I’ll get your girls and get your car.”

Inspector Hogan said Councillor Byrne was upset by the teen as she had had her car stolen previously, but he agreed that the teenager had not been involved in that.

The boy was arrested after his outburst and remained silent when he was questioned in the Garda station. A statement of complaint was then taken from Ms Byrne.

Judge Smyth was told that the teenager, who was supported in court by his mother, had no previous convictions and was not facing any other charges.

The teen’s lawyer said the boy’s mother “was disgusted by his behaviour because she felt the councillor does a lot of good work.”

The boy had behaved stupidly, “needed to grow up” and “did not engage his brain before he spoke,” his solicitor said.

The court was told that the boy hoped he would not receive a criminal conviction as that would affect his future employment hopes.

Inspector Hogan said “I’m not sure how much was regretted, his mother had tried to guide him, time will tell.”

Judge Smyth said he regarded the teenager’s behaviour as being at the more serious end of abuse under the public order offence.

He remanded the teen on bail until a date in June pending a probation report but said he expected the teenager to make a full apology to Ms Byrne.

“If there is anything untoward in the report, there could be a conviction, he is going to have to lead a more pro-social lifestyle,” he warned.