Father of boy in Jobstown trial says verdict will be appealed

The father of a boy, found to have imprisoned former Tanaiste Joan Burton, has said the case will be appealed.

Though the judge found he was satisfied of the guilt of the boy, he discharged him from court on condition he did not reoffend for nine months.

Speaking outside the court, the boy’s father said the decision had “a lot of terms and conditions attached” which they wished to appeal.

“We are not happy, he is not guilty of anything, he didn’t do anything,” he said.

He said the terms meant the boy could be “victimised walking down the street” and it would stop him from “protesting for what he believes are his rights”.

“There is no justice in this country for young people,” he added.

His words were greeted with cheers from a crowd of more than 100 protesters, who had been demonstrating since the case began.

From inside the court, their chants of “Jobstown innocent, Labour guilty”, could be heard.

‘Outrageous assault on civil liberties’

A spokeswoman for the group said the judge’s decision was a gross miscarriage of justice and an outrageous assault on civil liberties and the right to protest.

She said no evidence of false imprisonment was presented.

“Instead he has been convicted on the basis of images of him attending a protest, leading a chant and holding a megaphone,” she said.

This verdict represents the criminalisation of protest and sets an extremely dangerous precedent, she added.

“Any people who engage in sit-down protests or slow marching in future now face the threat of being convicted of false imprisonment,” she said.

The protesters called for “all those who oppose the criminalisation of protest” to make a stand.

A “Rally for Justice” will be held on Saturday at the Central Bank in solidarity with the teenager.