Eight months for teenager who beat man, 63

A teenager, who knocked a 63-year-old man from his bicycle, then viciously beat him leaving him permanently scarred, has been given an eight-month suspended sentence by Judge Bryan Smyth at the Dublin Children’s Court.

The 17-year-old boy had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the man, in Artane, Dublin, on August 20, 2006.

He also admitted criminal damage, production of a broken glass as weapon during the course of dispute, drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace, which happened, at a pub, in north Dublin city on a date in March last year.

He has also admitted criminally damaging a north Dublin petrol station and to driving illegally on another occasion.

A probation report had described the boy, who is a father of one, as a low risk re-offender but had said he needed to address his alcohol problem.

Judge Smyth noted yesterday that the boy has been staying out of trouble and that he had brought €250, as ordered, in compensation for his criminal damage offences.

He imposed an eight-month sentence but suspended it on condition that the teen was of good behaviour and did not re-offend with one year.

During the attack, the victim had been cycling home when he was attacked by youths who had been binge drinking.

Garda Kevin Gaynor, of Clontarf station, had told the court that the "youths knocked him off his bicycle and assaulted him. The injured party suffered cuts to his left eye, cheek and knuckles." He also suffered a fractured eye socket.

"I am in shock over what happened when I was coming home minding my own business," the victim had told the court adding that he has continued to suffer from agonising cramps in his hand and was on medication as a result of the ordeal.

His face had been left scarred from the attack.

Counsel for the teen, Mr Finbar O’Connor, had said the boy had been reared mostly by his grandparents but had taken to alcohol after his grandmother’s death a few years ago.

“His father has been in prison most of the last 25 years,” the boy’s barrister had said adding that the teen started to get into trouble through alcohol abuse.

Pleading for leniency, counsel had said that the boy was attending Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and had a good work history. His family were also very supportive of him, he added.

The boy, who was accompanied to court by his grandfather, had eight previous convictions going back to late 2003 for public order, theft, assault and criminal damage offences for which he had been let off previously under the probation act.

He had earlier paid €300 to court as compensation for his attack victim who had said he did not want the boy’s money which he asked to be donated to the Irish Cancer Society instead.