Jobless teen 'had claimed he had flick-knife for work', court hears

An unemployed 16-year-boy, who claimed he needed to carry a flick-knife for work, will be sentenced in March.

An unemployed 16-year-boy, who claimed he needed to carry a flick-knife for work, will be sentenced in March.

The teen had already admitted attacking a detective after gardaí raided his home and restrained his father, and was on bail for that crime when he was caught seven months later with the weapon hidden in his sock.

Garda Mark Melbourne told Dublin Children's Court that on a date last October he was on patrol in south inner city Dublin when he spotted the teen “acting in a suspicious manner”.

The boy was arrested for the purpose of a search and brought to Kilmainham Garda station. “On arrival at the station, he handed over to gardaí, from his sock, a flick-knife.”

The jobless youth had claimed to gardaí “he had the knife for work” but when his case came to court he pleaded guilty to possessing it as a weapon.

He was on bail at the time having previously admitted assault causing harm to Detective Garda Aidan Shaughnessy, when a stand-off at the boy's south Dublin home turned violent on a date last March.

The juvenile court has already heard that gardaí had raided the boy's family home, in south Dublin.

He had to get out of bed and along with his relatives was brought to the living room in the house

while officers carried out the search.

Judge Ryan had been told that the boy “refused to co-operate with gardaí, refused to sit down” and “struck Det-Gda Aidan Shaughnessy twice in the face with a closed fist.”

The detective suffered slight swelling to his face, the judge was told.

In mitigation, defence solicitor Gareth Noble had said the boy had one family member under investigation for a “serious matter”. It was a tense situation between the officers and members of the teen's family.

The boy, who is still on bail, “took the lead” from one of his relatives and thought they were under threat. The teen's father had to be restrained at which point he attacked the detective.

The boy, who has no prior criminal convictions, but has another prosecution pending, had quit school after finishing the Junior Certificate and is not in any form of education or training, the juvenile court has been told.

Judge Ryan adjourned sentencing the teenager, who was accompanied to his hearing by his mother, until a date in March for sentencing in relation to both incidents.

The court heard he is trying to get a place on an educational course and an updated probation report on him has been sought.

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