Garda attack teens back on streets
Two 15-year-old boys that were part of a gang that attacked gardaí with stones and bottles and hit a female Garda on the stomach with a brick, were back on the streets within two hours of receiving two-year sentences.
The pair had been detained for two years by Judge Bryan Smyth at the Dublin Children’s Court on Monday afternoon.
However, within two hours of the conclusion of the case, the pair, who had been held in custody for a week on remand pending sentence, were out after €250 bail was lodged releasing them to appeal the severity of their sentences.
Judge Smyth had said they had involved in “very serious acts” and he hoped the sentences would be in their best interests. The two were to be held in the Trinity House detention centre.
The out-of-school north Dublin boys were convicted for assaulting gardaí, obstruction, drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace, arising from the violent disturbance in Ballymun, which went on for over two hours, on the night of May 13 last.
Gardaí from six north Dublin stations and the Garda helicopter were called in to give back up.
At one stage they had to retreat before going back in to disperse the youths.
The violence erupted after gardai responded to a report of vandalism.
Garda Ciaran Murrihy, of Ballymun station, said when he arrived, bricks, bottles and stones were thrown at his patrol car. Two of his colleagues were surrounded by about 15 youths.
They were attacked with punches and kicks by two of the defendants. While an arrest was attempted one of the defendants “came running over to me and tried to release him he bit me on my arm.”
A female student Garda was hit with brick in her stomach resulting in her having to go to hospital.
The crowd of youths grew to about 25 and the five gardai at the scene had to pull out for their own safety but later more units arrived to assist in breaking up the violent crowd.
Garda Brian Martin of Santry station said that another of the defendants threatened to “slice me up. He said he’d follow me home and petrol bomb my house.”
Judge Smyth was also told that the gardai were pelted with tins, stones and bottles which were thrown by youths from a fifth floor balcony.
The disturbance started at about 11.30pm on May 13 and finished at about 2am the following morning.
