Couple attacked after defending gay son from homophobic taunts

A mother and father were beaten up in their front garden after they defended their gay son from homophobic taunting, a court has heard.

Following an an emotionally charged hearing at the Dublin Children’s Court, three teenage schoolgirls were found guilty of committing a violent disorder.

The court heard the woman was punched, kicked and had a cigarette stubbed out on her face when she was confronted by three girls. Meanwhile her husband was set on and allegedly knocked out by a youth who is being tried separately.

The girls, both teenagers, had pleaded not guilty and had no prior criminal convictions, but were drunk on alcopops and vodka, the court heard.

Judge John O’Connor said the Probation Act would be considered for two of them if they wrote a letter of apology to the couple. Their parents had to be involved in preparing the letters and they needed to address the issue of the alcohol they had drank “and the torture they put this family through”. They were ordered to appear again next week.

The third girl, who was alleged to have stubbed a cigarette out on the woman’s face, has been remanded on bail for sentencing in April when a probation report will be furnished to the court.

In evidence Judge O’Connor heard that the man and woman’s son had gone out of their home to walk a younger sibling back from a bus stop.

Someone had been throwing stones at their house and there was a group of teenage boys outside. The woman said “I could see they were very angry” and her son was repeatedly taunted about being gay.

The mother said she went out and told the teens, “We know he is gay, it is not a problem”. “Three girls came running at me, screaming, shouting ‘who the eff do you think you are?’,” the woman told the court.

She said one of the girls had a cigarette and “went for my eye but it hit just under my eye.”

She claimed the girl picked up a bottle and she feared she would be hit in the face. She said to defend herself she grabbed the girl by her hair and pulled her down. She explained that she did this in case the two other girls “went to go on me, they would have to go on her as well”.

She said she then felt punches and kicks and her hair was being pulled. Afterwards she noticed she had been left with bald patches. Her husband was knocked to the ground by a youth who was “punching him and kicking him on the head.”

Her husband told the court he came out and saw his wife being punched and kicked by two girls and another girl “had a hold of her hair”.

He tried to pull them off his wife before he was attacked from behind. “I came to in my garden, next to my car,” he said adding that his car was also smashed up.

He denied claims made by the girls that he had struck one of them with a bottle.

In evidence the girls claimed the woman started on them first. One said she felt she was not believed because she was a teenager. She said she had tried to stop the woman attacking her friend. Another girl claimed she had not been involved at all.

However, Judge O’Connor heard evidence from a neighbour of the couple who called the guards after he saw the incident escalate. He also said he saw one of the girls approach the woman and “put a cigarette out in her face”.

The girls had just left a party and admitted they had been drinking. One had eight bottles of an alcopop as well as a naggin of vodka. Another youth is before the courts facing separate proceedings in connection with the incident.