THE mother of the 13 year old victim, who suffered 80 per cent burns, said she was pleased that the defendant would be supervised for another two years. "I am glad he got another two years. He didn't just get off the hook as easily as he might have thought."
Speaking from her Dundalk home, she said her son had been worrying about the case. Initially, the court had been unable to impose a custodial sentence, because no suitable accommodation was available, and a suspended sentence with a strict curfew had been imposed.
"My son feels he (defendant) should have been dealt with the first day it was in court and was not pleased with the curfew and the suspended sentence. He was annoyed as well when the curfew was broken ... it was as if he wasn't sorry for what he did and wasn't suffering. My son will be forever suffering", she said.
It is now more than two years since the incident and the 13 year old boy has to use special lotions to wash. While he has gone back to school, he has had to receive counselling.