Teenager accused of throwing black paint on crowded Luas

A 15-year-old boy faces detention after throwing black paint at another teenager on a crowded Luas, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

The teenager was captured on CCTV attacking the victim, the court was told.

The victim also told gardaí that the accused and a group of other local youths had attacked him a month earlier.

Garda Kieran Kilcoyne said the accused had one previous conviction at the time of the incidents last year, but has since racked up a further 33, including convictions for violent disorder, robbery, dangerous driving and stealing cars.

He said the teenager was also not abiding by bail conditions, including a curfew.

The teenager is now serving a sentence in a detention centre and is due for release next October.

Mr Kilcoyne said other passengers were covered in paint during the incident, including an elderly woman, whose new coat was completely destroyed.

Another woman was left with paint on her face and on the clothes of her two children.

The tram was immediately decommissioned following the incident and it cost €884 to clean the carriage.

Guilty plea

The teenager pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting the then 16-year-old boy and criminal damage on January 23rd and February 28th, 2015.

Judge Melanie Greally imposed three-years' detention but deferred the imposition of the sentence itself until November 25th next.

She said it was her intention to allow the teenager out on bail on his immediate release from the detention centre.

She said she would review his behaviour in the weeks following his release.

“If the indicators are positive I will suspend the sentence . . . but if Mr Kilcoyne has to bring this back to me you will take away those options and I will be sending you back to the detention centre.”