'I'll never be the same,' says victim as Cork teen jailed for 'nasty' iPhone robbery

Judge Boyle told the accused: “The problem here is that you are violent when you drink."

The defendant changed the access code for the iPhone and refused to tell gardaí what it was. In this way the phone was available to the owner but useless to him. File photo

A teenager who robbed an iPhone 12 from another youth had four previous convictions for assaulting others and another four for assault causing harm and now he has been jailed for 18 months.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed a sentence of three years, with half of it suspended on 19-year-old Anthony Butler of 5 Churchfield Terrace East, Churchfield, Cork, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Boyle noted that defence barrister John Devlin did not shy away from the fact that this was a very nasty offence.

Judge Boyle said to Butler: “The problem here is that you are violent when you drink. If you continue to drink you will continue to be violent. You have a high level of reoffending.

“In mitigation I note your regret that you caused him harm and you wish to apologise to him. You have a level of insight into the harm you caused.” 

The victim said: “In truth, I am not the same. I never will be. I cannot even enjoy the simple things in life. 

I will never forgive the accused for what he did to me when I was coming into adolescence.

Sergeant Chris Cahill said the background to the incident was that the injured party went to meet a friend at the back of CIT known as Murphy’s farm at Curraheen and arrived to find a number of young people drinking and listening to music.

The injured party did not know everyone who was there. The defendant asked to borrow his Apple iPhone 12 and he gave it to him. Over the following hour the owner looked for it back but became fearful because of threats made to him. The injured party was forced to hand over a second phone he had on him also.

“The injured party feared for his safety. He knew he had no prospects of getting his phones without provocation. He left and got some distance away. (Anthony Butler) and another man overtook him and demanded passcodes and PIN codes on both phones. They kicked and punched him a number of times forcing him to hand over passcodes.

“He went to his friend’s house and later went to the A&E of Cork University Hospital,” Sgt Cahill said.

The Apple phone’s tracker device was activated and the location for it was the bedroom of the defendant. Butler changed the access code for the phone and refused to tell gardaí what it was. In this way the phone was available to the owner but useless to him. 

He only handed over the new code when ordered to do so and remanded in custody.

Defence barrister, John Devlin, said the defendant had a difficult family upbringing. He said there was a contradiction in terms of his offending in that he had previous convictions but was also a very good sportsman, playing rugby, soccer and hurling.

A probation report on the accused put him at a high risk of reoffending.