Teen charged in connection with shooting remanded on bail

A teenager charged over a shooting of a man in Finglas in Dublin last October, was remanded on continuing bail at the Children’s Court today.

The man, who is in his 20s, had been hospitalised after he was shot in the early hours of October 18 last.

A 17-year-old boy was charged two days later at the Dublin Children’s Court with assault causing harm to Mr Stephen Keenan and possessing a handgun, at Mellows Avenue, in Finglas in connection with the shooting.

Bail had been refused initially and the teenager had been remanded in custody to St Patrick’s Institution. However, he was later granted High Court bail.

Today at the Children’s Court, Judge Bryan Smyth heard that the DPP had directed that the case should be sent forward to the Circuit Court, which on conviction has wider sentencing powers.

He remanded the youth, who was accompanied to his case by his father, on continuing bail to appear again in two weeks. The defence may make submissions then pleading for the case to be kept in the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.

Earlier, Garda Zohra Smyth had told the court “it is alleged the injured party was shot, seriously injured and hospitalised as a result of this.”

“It is alleged the accused had in his possession a handgun, for unlawful purposes namely to shoot the injured party,” she had said.

Garda Smyth had alleged that the defendant walked past a house at about 5am, where the man had been in his garden, and “fired eight shots hitting the injured party once".

The teenager could on conviction at the Circuit Court face a maximum five-year sentence for the assault charge and a term of up to 14 years for the firearm offence.