Boy, 14, accused of attacking pregnant woman and sexual assault

A 14-year-old boy sexually assaulted two women and in another incident held a knife to a pregnant woman’s stomach, it was alleged at the Dublin Children’s Court today.

The boy, who is residing in a care unit, has been charged with two sexual assaults on the same date in January last, in Dublin. He also faces four other charges, two for production of a knife as weapon at his care home in November last year, when he was aged 13, and two more for attacking two women who worked in the unit.

The DPP recommended that the case was suitable to be dealt with in the Children’s Court instead of being sent forward to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which, on conviction, can impose lengthier sentences.

In an outline of the allegations, Judge Bryan Smyth heard that during an assault at the care home last November, the boy slapped a member of staff across her face.

“He picked up a dinner knife and held it to her throat, but relaxed it when another staff member came in,” a Garda said.

The court also heard that during another incident at the unit, the boy approached a pregnant care worker. “He put his outstretched arm to her and she tried to block him and felt a knife connect with her wrist. It had been concealed up his sleeve.”

“He followed her and held a table knife to her stomach. The injured party was four months pregnant at the time, he would have known that.”

The alleged sexual assaults on two women in their 20s did not occur at the care unit. One injured party told gardaí he “grabbed her ... and verbalised his actions saying: ‘I will show you a good time, you know you want it.”

The second complainant gave a statement to gardaí alleging the boy groped her. She stated to gardaí that the teenager said “he would get her into bed and ‘you know you want it’.”

Judge Smyth heard the boy had claimed he had been intoxicated at the time. But the Garda went on the say that the complainants believed that the teen had not been “entirely intoxicated”.

Pleading for the case to be retained in the Children’s Court, defence solicitor Gareth Noble said the boy has been in care since he was aged two years and there has been “a high level of therapeutic intervention”.

He said the boy, who remained silent during the case, was attending school and liked residing in the care unit and appreciated the work of its staff.

Reports from the teen’s social worker and one from the Mater Child Guidance Clinic where the boy has been receiving counselling were handed into court.

Judge Smyth agreed to accept jurisdiction for the case to be kept the Children’s Court “taking into consideration his age and particular circumstances” but he added it was “borderline”.

He remanded the teen, who was accompanied to court by staff members from his care unit and his social worker, on bail to appear again next week when pleas are to be entered.

Earlier. the court heard that after the boy was charged he replied: “I do not see myself a sex offender.”