Addict teen mum remanded in connection with gang attack

A young woman, who helped pin a Chinese student against railings as he was set on by a gang of youths and head-butted, has been remanded on bail pending sentence.

The 18-year-old, a mother of one and a former heroin user, had pleaded guilty at the Children’s Court to assault causing harm to the 22-year-old Chinese national, at Mountjoy Square North, in Dublin, on August 18, 2007. She was a juvenile at the time of the offence.

Last May, she had been placed under a supervisory probation bond for 12 months and had been ordered to attend addiction counselling, be tested for drug use and to keep the peace.

However, the case was re-entered today after Judge Clare Leonard heard that the teenager had broken the terms of her bond by not turning up for appointments with her probation officer.

Her probation officer said that the defendant missed five appointments and did not respond to letters warning her she risked having her case brought back to court.

The probation officer also said she learned that the teen had been arrested for drug related charges but added that charges have not been brought yet.

The teenager, who was in tears during the case, told the court that her baby had been extremely ill.

Her mother also told Judge Leonard that the child had nearly died on one occasion

The teen's solicitor told the court that due to the baby's ill health and facing the possibility of brain damage, the accused was too pre-occupied to get in touch with the Probation Service.

Judge Leonard adjourned the case four weeks for an updated probation report to be obtained and also sought a report on the teen's drug abuse treatment.

Garda Amy Collins had told the court earlier she had been on plain clothes duty when she witnessed three males and the defendant approach the young Chinese man, who had been standing at a bus stop holding his mobile phone.

“They surrounded him, one male head butted him in the face, the others restrained him against railings,” she said.

She told the court that the teenager helped restrain the man by holding his hand as he was being attacked.

The victim suffered a small cut which left a scar over his left eye.

Garda Collins agreed that the defendant was co-operative after her arrest and admitted that on the day she had fallen in with the other three youths after she had consumed alcohol.

She also agreed that the teenage defendant had a more minor role and did not hit the victim.

In mitigation, the court had been told that the teen, who had three prior convictions, was remorseful, had left school in third year and started taking drugs, eventually moving onto heroin abuse.

The defendant “has little recollection of the incident or of what happened,” her lawyer had said earlier.