Youths on bus attack charge for Circuit Court trial

Four youths who allegedly kicked a 19-year-old student through the top window of a double-decker bus in Tallaght will be tried…

Four youths who allegedly kicked a 19-year-old student through the top window of a double-decker bus in Tallaght will be tried in the Circuit Court, Tallaght Children's Court has heard.

Judge James McDonnell heard that it will be alleged that one of the four provoked the teenager into an altercation and then his three accomplices joined in.

Michael Connors (who was 18 on May 15th), Daletree Place, Ballycullen, Dublin, a 16-year-old with an address in Tallaght and two 15- year-olds, one with an address in Clondalkin and one with an address in Tallaght, are all charged with committing violent disorder at Belgard Square West in Tallaght on October 20th, 2006.

All four defendants were before Judge James McDonnell to consider jurisdiction.

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Garda Pádraig Murphy said it would be alleged that the victim was sitting upstairs on a 77 bus when he was involved in an altercation with one of the youths. The other three joined in and knocked him through the window of the bus.

He landed on his head on the pavement and suffered two hairline fractures and later required a number of staples to his head, Garda Murphy said. He spent a week in hospital and six weeks in a back-brace.

The garda told Kitty Perle, defending, that the young man had been "provoked into defending himself" and said this was evident on the CCTV footage.

Ms Perle said her solicitor had not received CCTV footage.

Garda Murphy replied that it had not been requested.

Judge McDonnell heard it would also be alleged that the victim "never left his seat" during the incident.

He refused jurisdiction as the allegations were too serious to be dealt with by the District Court.

Judge McDonnell remanded the three juveniles on continuing bail for a month for service of the book of evidence. He remanded Michael Connors to a separate date in the adult list for service of his book.