Car-jack accused, 13, awaits sentence
A then 12-year-old Dublin boy is awaiting sentence after admitting he took part in a car jacking during which he beat a man to the head and body with a metal pole,
The boy, now aged 13, who cannot be named because he is a minor, is charged with unlawfully seizing and taking control of a 04’reg Ford Fiesta by force and being armed with a large metal pole during the incident in a residential area in Tallaght, in Dublin in August last year.
He had been remanded in custody by the Dublin Children’s Court in July after he repeatedly broke bail terms which included a curfew condition. Educational and welfare assessments of the teenager were also sought.
The case was before the court again on Friday to see if he has agreed to be part of a special bail supervision scheme with support from care workers.
Judge John O’Connor had noted that a guilty plea was being entered and that the teenager would be included in the scheme.
The boy, who was accompanied to court by a family member and his lawyer, was released on bail and and ordered to appear again in three weeks. The judge has asked for a pre-sentence probation report to prepared.
Earlier, Garda David Morris said the hi-jacking happened at about 8.15pm after a 22-year-old man drove into a residential estate. A male friend of the same age and two 17-year-old girls were also travelling in the car.
The Ford Fiesta was stopped and confronted by a large group of youths including the accused. One of the boy’s friends punched the driver and his car keys were taken, the court heard.
The driver attempted to retrieve his keys at which point the boy “approached with a very large metal bar and began hitting him a number of times”.
The court heard the man was beaten on the head, chest, back and neck by the boy. The man and his passengers fled as the group of youths surrounded the car and then drove it away at speed, it is alleged.
The boy was a passenger in the Ford Fiesta when it was driven away, Gda Morris had said.
It was recovered at 11pm that night “after being smashed up and badly damaged”, Judge O’Connor was told. The boy was arrested on a later date and interviewed by gardaí.
