The alleged victim remained in hospital this evening in a “perilous” condition after sustaining serious wounds.
The 17-year-old had fled his west of Ireland home and was “shacked up” with his girlfriend in a flat in the capital when he carried out the alleged attack at the weekend, a court was told.
The alleged victim remained in hospital this evening in a “perilous” condition after sustaining serious wounds to his head, abdomen and leg.
Judge Monika Leech refused the accused bail after hearing he was living without adult supervision and had no guardian in court, having been “let down” by his family.
She remanded him in custody to Oberstown detention centre.
The youth was brought before Dublin District Court this evening charged with producing a knife as a weapon, robbing a man and assaulting him, causing him harm. The offences are alleged to have happened in Fairview Park on August 23.
Fairview Park
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – August 26th
Detective Garda Richard Ledwidge said he arrested the accused at Clontarf station at 4.30pm today. He replied to one charge: “I’m sorry for doing it, if I could go back in time I would not have done it at all.”
He replied to the other charges: “Sorry for doing it.”
Objecting to bail, Det Gda Ledwidge said it was alleged the accused approached a man in the park before 4pm and produced a knife.
He allegedly stabbed the man six times, stole his bicycle and left the scene. The injuries the man suffered were one stab wound to his head, four to his abdomen and one to a leg. He remained in hospital this evening.
According to the prosecution, CCTV “clearly” showed the accused returning to a nearby flat “literally minutes after” the robbery “on the stolen bicycle.”
The address was searched under warrant and clothing the youth was wearing had been seized.
He was detained and made admissions, the garda said.
Det Gda Ledwidge said neither the bicycle or knife had been recovered. He was fearful that if the knife was still “at play”, the accused could move or dispose of it if bailed.
There was no responsible adult to accompany the accused to court and a garda had to stand in.
Applying for bail, defence barrister Gregory Murphy said the accused had a “very difficult family background”; his parents had addiction issues and his father was “not on the scene.” His mother, a crack cocaine user, had been in the garda station last night but did not “bother” coming to court, Mr Murphy said.
Before the alleged offence, the boy had been living with one of his grandmothers in the west of Ireland but he fled and came to Dublin with his girlfriend where they were staying in an empty flat rented by one of her relatives. There was no supervising adult there with them.
“It’s like something out of a bad Christmas movie,” Mr Murphy said, and a case of “stupidly young love.”
“A young man blinded by love comes to Dublin with his girlfriend, both disappear from their parents and grandparents and hide away in an apartment. He’s a stupid child who has come to Dublin and made a stupid decision,” Mr Murphy said.
The grandmother had reported the accused missing and “washed her hands” of him. His other grandmother who had been supportive was “unfortunately” out of the country on holiday.
However, the accused did have a cousin who he could stay with in his home county and if bailed, the court could put him on a “short leash” with a “suite” of conditions.
Judge Leech said she did not know anything about the cousin and she was not satisfied that the accused, who was at large without parental supervision, would comply with bail conditions.
It was a “tragedy” there was no responsible adult to come to court for him, she said.
The prosecution’s evidence was “compelling” and she was concerned that the alleged victim was “in a very perilous condition of health in hospital” having sustained “very serious injuries.” She remanded the accused to Oberstown detention centre, to appear in the Children’s Court next week.
The accused has not yet entered pleas to the charges.