A judge has refused to approve settlement offers made to two boys who were allegedly manhandled and violently thrown out of the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre by security staff.
Judge John Martin described the offers as “inadequate” after being told how the boys were treated by uniformed security staff in a public area of the west Dublin shopping mall.
Matthew Jolley, for the boys, gave evidence to the Circuit Civil Court of the “defamation, wrongful imprisonment and assault” of his two clients.
He told the court how Denis Constantin Cretu (13), of Annagh Court, Waterville, Blanchardstown, Dublin, was offered €15,000 as a settlement and Cillian Kian Murtagh (15), of Clonduff Grove, also Blanchardstown, was offered €10,000.
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Counsel said he was asking the court to reject the offers. “I estimate that the boys should get compensation of €35,000 each,” Jolley said.
The judge said he would consider increased compensation offers of €25,000 for each of the boys.
He granted Jolley time to contact solicitors for Bidvest Noonan (RoI) Limited, a security firm employed by Blanchardstown Shopping Centre Nominee Limited, also named as a defendant.
Jolley later reported to the court that while there was an indication of small increases to the offers, these came nowhere near a figure he would recommend to the court or what was suggested as appropriate by the court itself.
Counsel had earlier told the judge how the boys were frightened, intimidated and shocked by what had happened in front of a large number of people when they were accused of not paying.
Both boys, he said, were grabbed by their collars and marched out of the centre, resulting in soft tissue injuries. He said Cretu was punched in the face, which had caused his lip to bleed.
Jolley said he had seen CCTV footage of the incident and felt the boys would succeed in a full trial of their case if the court rejected the offers made to them.
The judge refused to approve the offers, meaning the cases will be heard at trial by another judge.
