Pregnant teen sentenced for part in gang assault
An expectant teenage mother has received a two-year suspended sentence after she was one of a 'group of thugs' that set upon a man and an off-duty garda who had come to the aid of a theft victim.
The 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Brian Lenihan and assaulting garda John Conneally on June 13, 2007.
The girl, who is due to give birth later this month, had five previous convictions including criminal damage, violent behaviour in a garda station and intoxication in a public place.
Judge Frank O’Donnell described the teenagers as behaving like “a group of thugs” who acted like “a pack of hounds”.
He sentenced the girl to two years in prison which he suspended on the condition that she keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years and liaise with the Probation Service for 12 months.
Garda Brian Fahy told Mr Garnet Orange BL, prosecuting, that the accused was with a group of teenagers sitting at the back of a 41 bus en route to Dublin Airport, when one of the boys reached into the bag of a Spanish tourist and took her wallet.
She tried to get the group to return her purse before a passenger, Mr Lenihan, came to her assistance.
The teenagers then turned their aggression on Mr Lenihan and the row continued after the group got off the bus when it reached the terminus at Dublin Airport.
Garda Fahy said that Mr Lenihan was struck with a bottle and punched in the face as he tried to hold the boy who had stolen the purse.
An off-duty garda, garda Conneally, who was returning from holidays, was also assaulted by the group when he tried to intervene. The attack came to an end when other gardaí were called in to assist.
Garda Fahy agreed with Ms Geraldine Biggs BL, defending, that although her client was involved in the assault, she did not cause the injuries sustained by Mr Lenihan.
He said CCTV footage of the incident showed that another girl in the group had struck the victim with a bottle, while another boy had punched him. One of the group was prosecuted in the Children Court while the boy, who stole the wallet, has yet to be apprehended.
Garda Fahy also accepted that the teenager was highly intoxicated on the night having drunk a litre of vodka.
He further accepted that she has not come to garda attention since June 2007.
Ms Biggs said that her client has been attending Youthreach and hopes to train as a hairdresser or a beautician in the future. She said there was a favourable probation report before the court which put the teenager at a low risk of re-offending.
