Teen on probation after 'vicious' street row

A teenager, who was found guilty of breach of the peace for taking part in a “vicious” street row, has been released on supervised probation for six months.

The 16-year-old boy had been found guilty earlier at the Children’s Court of engaging in a breach of the peace, at Santry Avenue, in north Dublin, on April 24 last.

Judge Bryan Smyth noted that a pre-sentence report had recommended that the defendant should be placed on supervised probation.

He also noted that the teenager, who was accompanied to his case by his mother, had not come to garda attention since.

He agreed to follow the recommendation to impose the probation bond. This means the boy must follow advice of his probation officer to address his offending behaviour.

Judge Smyth warned the teenager that if he broke this condition the case could be brought back to court which could then impose a sentence.

The teenager had claimed he had been coming to the assistance of a friend who had been attacked by three other youths.

However, Judge Bryan Smyth had heard evidence from two detectives that the teenager had been in the area before the trouble broke out and already had been cautioned to leave when the fight erupted.

Detective Garda Catriona Harris said that the situation was too dangerous for her and a colleague to intervene without back up. The fight spilled out onto an adjacent road which resulted in traffic coming to a standstill.

Detective Alan Byrne described the fighting between the two groups as “vicious” and had said that the teen and his friend were “in control of the situation”.

“The other three I would say were in difficulty,” he had also told the court.

The fighting stopped when a number of garda units arrived at the scene.

The court heard that the north Dublin boy had three prior convictions for drugs offences and possession of a weapon for which he had been given probation earlier.

Defence solicitor John Quinn said his client had spent a number of months in a residential treatment centre for trouble youths. Since returning to Dublin he has started a training course.