Teen accused of attacking three gardaí

A 17-year-old boy who allegedly kicked a female Garda in the face as she lay on the ground, left her concussed, and then went on to break two of her colleagues’ noses, has been further remanded in custody pending direction from the DPP.

He was also given a six-month sentence at the Dublin Children’s Court for a separate offence, car theft, where he led on a pursuit through north inner city Dublin, on August 23 last.

The boy has been charged with using a stolen car, engaging in violent disorder and three counts of assaulting gardaí, on September 1 and September 3 last. Judge Bryan Smyth was told that the file on the investigation was extensive.

He remanded the teenager in custody for a further four weeks pending the DPP’s directions on whether the case is to be retained in the Children’s Court or instead be sent forward to the Circuit Court which on conviction can impose lengthier sentences.

In relation to the assaults, a Garda sergeant had told the court there was “no control” over the boy, whom he stated continued to commit serious offences while he was on bail with a curfew condition for earlier crimes.

The alleged attack, which the teenager is denying, happened after gardaí say they spotted him driving a stolen car.

Garda John Dolan had said he and a female colleague had been trying to arrest the teenager, at St Mary’s Mansions, in north inner city Dublin on September 1.

His colleague was left a state of concussion after the boy attacked and called on up 15 other youths to assist him.

“I heard him say: ‘Help me!’ and they duly did,” he had told Judge Smyth.

Gda-Sgt David Gallagher had told Judge Smyth the boy hit the female officer on the face and “kicked her on the ground in the face.”

The sergeant was also attacked and sustained a broken nose when the boy was arrested three days later.

“In relation to the assault on me, this was a head butt I received while carrying out the arrest,” he said and went on to tell the judge that later that day, the boy struck another garda and broke his nose too.

The teen, whose parents were present for his case today, is already serving a nine-month sentence imposed two weeks ago for a string motor theft offences.