Burglary youth avoids custody

A Dublin teenager has avoided a custodial sentence for taking part in an aggravated house burglary where a group of men went in search of a youth they mistakenly believed to be a flasher.

Two teens had accompanied four men, who were trying to find the youth that they wrongly thought had exposed himself to a female relative of the group's “ringleader.”

Gavin Lindsay (aged 18) and David Savage (aged 19), who both have addresses at Walsh Road, in Drumcondra, had pleaded guilty earlier at the Children's Court to aggravated burglary at a house, in Dundrum, in south Dublin, on July 1, 2009.

They were aged 17, and juveniles, at the time of the offence but have since reached adulthood.

Their case had been adjourned until today for a pre-sentencing probation reports to be furnished to the court.

Judge Hugh O'Donnell agreed to follow the report's recommendation to place Lindsay on supervised probation for 10 months.

Sentencing of the co-defendant was adjourned until a date next March.

Detective Garda Darren Kerrin had told the court earlier that the teenagers had been with four men when they went to the house. A man who is nearly 20 years older than the defendants, was the “ringleader” he had said.

Det-Gda Kerrin said that the ringleader was looking for the home owner's son who was not present at the time.

“It was alleged that the son of the owner had allegedly done something inappropriate,” the court had heard.

There had been a “totally unfounded” belief that the victim's son had exposed himself to a relative of the ringleader, who is facing trial separately.

The teens were picked up and brought along to the house which they also entered with the four other men. They have no prior convictions and have not come to garda attention since.

Det-Gda Kerrin said the ringleader of the group, who was armed with a hammer, smashed two glass windows and also threatened to kill the victim's son.

The teenage defendants were also present in the house as this happened and then left.

Defence solicitor Adrian Lennon had told the court that his clients had “got dragged along in the excitement” and had not caused any harm or damage, during the incident. He had also submitted that they were juveniles at the time.