Teen who savagely attacked eight men in “28 minutes of madness” filmed boasting with blood on hands

By Tom Tuite

A-17-year-old teenager has been sent forward for trial for taking part in a litany of “extreme violence” during a series of unprovoked street attacks in Dublin over the course of “28 minutes of madness”.

The teenager appeared at the Dublin Children’s Court where he was served with a book of evidence. Judge Brendan Toale then made an order sending him forward for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing later this month.

The teen, who was accompanied to court by his lawyer and his mother, was remanded on continuing bail.

Due to the seriousness of the case, the juvenile court refused jurisdiction and held he had to be tried in the higher court which has tougher sentencing powers.

The court heard the teenager was filmed on a phone with blood-stained hands bragging about the incidents and a victim’s inability to defend himself.

He faces 14 charges arising out incidents in the city centre’s south-side in the early hours of Nov. 17 last when eight young men were attacked, and seven of them sustained serious injuries including one man who was allegedly on his knees begging for his safety.

The court heard the victims were aged 19 and in their early 20s.

In an outline of the allegations, Garda Niall Murray told the court earlier that the first incident happened at 3.12am at Harcourt Street when a man was punched.

Seven minutes later another young man was attacked resulting in the loss of his front teeth and he needed two stitches to the back of his head.

It was alleged the teen was the first to come at him with a “flying kick” and he was also involved in the attack afterwards, Garda Murray said.

Four minutes later at Montague Street three men were attacked with punches to the head. It was alleged it continued on to Camden Street and the garda said the boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was involved and could be clearly seen striking their faces.

The court heard the teen knocked one of the men unconscious and the second man had a broken nose and to two other fractures on his face.

A minute later another man was attacked at Camden Row after his phone was grabbed from his hand and smashed against a wall, allegedly by the 17-year-old.

The man was knocked to the ground after he sustained a number of blows to his head.

He needed three stitches above his right eye and had an abrasion on his cornea and suffered blurry vision for two weeks after the attack.

Garda Murray said the teenager engaged in “extreme violence” during this incident.

The last attacks, on two other men, was minutes later where Montague Street intersects with Harcourt Street, the Children’s Court was told.

One man suffered a broken jaw while the second man had fractured ribs after the attack. The court heard one of the men had been on his knees “begging for his safety” before he was “flattened” by another person facing separate proceedings.

Garda Murray said it was a “savage assault”. Phone footage of the teenager boasting while showing his blood covered hands was recovered. It was also alleged he was filmed “slagging” one of the victims saying “he needs to learn to defend himself”.

Defence solicitor Gareth Noble described the teen’s involvement as “28 minutes of madness” and he added that the youth intended to plead guilty. He said the teenager wanted to carry on his education and had never been in trouble in school.

At the time of the incidents the boy was was “barely able to hold himself up”, Mr Noble said.

Medical reports and photos of the men’s injuries were handed in to court.

Three other men are also before the courts awaiting trial in connection with the incidents.