Dublin youth (17) sentenced for Temple Bar attack

A Dublin youth has been given a five-month sentence for an unprovoked attack on a man in Temple Bar.

Dublin Children's Court had heard a Probation Service report on the 17-year-old boy stated "there is not much they can do" for him.

Judge John O’Connor had also said the youth had reached the threshold for receiving a custodial sanction.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the youth must remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for 10-months, the court ordered.

The teenager also pleaded guilty to a separate charge for supplying heroin, connected to Operation Viking - a Garda crackdown on street dealing in Dublin.

Garda Gillian Moran told the judge that in February of last year at Aston Quay, Dublin 2, a garda “adopted the appearance and mannerism of a drug user”. The undercover officer was approached by the youth who sold him a “street deal of heroin for a fee of €20”.

Guilty plea

The teenager, who was accompanied to court by his lawyer and parents, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a man on August 15th, 2014. The youth already has 22 prior criminal convictions.

Garda Stephen Farrelly told the judge the teenager had been “walking through Temple Bar square, he had a bottle of beer in his possession”. Mr Farrelly said the teenager dropped the bottle when he bumped into the victim.

The court heard the boy then attacked the man, striking him in the face and inflicting bruises.

The youth admitted to the attack on arrest, the court was told.

Judge O’Connor heard that the boy had a litany of public order convictions, as well as convictions for assault, drug dealing, theft, robbery, possessing an implement for use in a theft, possessing stolen property, carrying an offensive weapon and criminal damage. He had been released on supervised probation in November last year.