Teenager arrested for allegedly attacking youth with bottle served with book of evidence

A teenage boy, who was arrested for allegedly attacking a youth with a glass bottle leaving him scarred and needing plastic surgery, was served with a book of evidence at the Dublin Children’s Court today.

Judge Aeneus McCarthy ordered that the 17-year-old boy who is charged with assault causing harm, at Park West Avenue, in west Dublin, on May 21 last, was to be sent forward for trial to the next term of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The defendant, who is from the north west of Ireland, was accompanied to court by his mother and was remanded on bail pending his trial.

Earlier it had been held that the case should go forward to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has wider sentencing powers than the Children’s Court.

Outlining the allegations at an earlier stage of the proceedings, Garda Gavin Coleman, of Ballyfermot station, had said that a youth and some friends passed another group of teenagers who had been with the defendant.

“Some words were exchanged and the accused and the injured party were in an altercation,” Garda Coleman had said.

“A broken bottle was picked up by the accused and thrown into the face of the injured party,” he added.

The victim sustained serious facial injuries and was taken directly to hospital where he was kept for two days for reconstructive plastic surgery.

Garda Coleman had furnished the court with medical reports and photographs of injuries suffered by the youth who has been left with permanent facial scarring.

A plea had been made previously for the case to be retained in the jurisdiction of Children’s Court but was refused.

The court had been told that teenage defendant had not come to adverse Garda attention before the attack nor since. His solicitor had earlier told the court that it had been an “isolated incident” and the boy had found it difficult when his parents separated and started new relationships.

He was living with his father and hoped to receive counselling but there was a three-year waiting list for it in his locality.

At the time of the incident the teenager had been visiting his mother now living in Dublin. During his visits he had got to know teenagers “some with criminal involvement”, his solicitor had submitted.