Ear bitten in 'savage' teen attack
A teenage boy, who took part in a “savage” premeditated attack where a young man was lured into waste ground, robbed, bitten on his ear and beaten with a sock containing golf balls, was detained for four months by Judge Catherine Murphy at the Dublin Children’s Court today.
A second teenage boy who had a lesser role in the attack was detained for two months.
The two 17-year-old boys had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting the man causing him harm, robbery of his mobile phone and taking part in a violent disorder at Leopardstown Valley, near Ballyogen, in South Dublin, on May 1 last year.
Teenager A, who has recently finished school, admitted making a telephone call to the victim, whom he knew, which enticed him to the waste ground area where the attack took place.
Teenager B, also admitted taking part and that he did nothing to stop the beating, which the judge had described as a “savage unprovoked attack”.
Neither had previous convictions and had not come to Garda attention since.
However in sentencing the pair, Judge Murphy said that given the “seriousness of the offence and the impact it had on the victim there must be serious consequences”.
Garda John Griffin, of Dundrum Station, had said that the victim, an 18-year-old man, “had been lured by the telephone call to a wasteland area and attacked by five youths”.
“He was robbed of his mobile phone and bitten on his ear and also beaten to his head and upper body.”
A sock containing three golf balls was used as a weapon by another member of the group in the attack which left the victim badly bruised and cut.
The gang only stopped when locals heard the commotion and intervened.
The ordeal had traumatising mental effects on the victim, who was left scarred, the court had heard.
The situation had escalated out of Teenager A’s control and he was genuinely remorseful, the court had heard in mitigation
The co-defendant had personal difficulties was currently unemployed and after the incident socialised with a different peer group.
