A 15-YEAR-OLD Dublin boy accused of a serious knife attack on a woman in Dublin has had his case upgraded to attempted murder and will stand trial in the Central Criminal Court.
The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, had been refused bail on 26 December after garda objections.
The teen has not made any renewed bail application since then and has remained at the Oberstown detention centre except for court appearances.
He was originally charged with assault causing harm to the woman and production of a knife during the alleged assault at the baths on Queens Road in Dún Laoghaire on 23 December last.
The woman, who was 25 at the time and of Irish-Malaysian descent, was found at around 3.20pm on the date of the incident and was hospitalised with serious injuries including a horizontal lacerations to her neck.
A further charge of attempted murder of the woman, at the seafront on Queen’s Road was brought against the boy who faced his seventh hearing when he appeared before Judge John O’Connor at the Dublin Children’s Court today.
A State solicitor said the boy, who has not yet indicated how he will plead, must face trial in the Central Criminal Court, on all charges. Defence solicitor Aisling Mulligan agreed, however, the teenager would not address the court.
109 witnesses
Judge O’Connor told the boy, whose parents sat beside him throughout the hearing, that in relation to the issue of the trial venue, the Children’s Court had extensive jurisdiction but not in relation to matters that go to the Central Criminal Court.
The prosecution asked for a four-week adjournment to complete the book of evidence which has to be served on the teen before he can be returned for trial to the higher court. Judge O’Connor was told there was a “quite extensive file” which was unusually complex and involved 109 witnesses.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has also directed that the teenager can be sent forward to the higher court on a “signed plea”. Judge O’Connor told the boy that if he were pleading guilty he had to be satisfied he understood the nature of the charge.
The defence consented to him being remanded in custody for another two weeks but it was not expected that the book of evidence would be ready by then. The case will resume on 26 March.
Due to the nature of the new charge, a bail application could only be heard in the High Court.
Undergoing treatment
Last month the boy’s solicitor told the Children’s Court a number of issues were being attended to and, based on information from the boy’s psychiatrist, these were best dealt with in the teen’s current setting.
During another previous hearing, on 25 January, the defence said the teen was undergoing treatment and the parents had “severe concerns for his personal safety”. The defence insisted it would be brought to the judge’s attention if there was an alternative to being in the detention centre.
The teen’s first court appearance involved a lengthy hearing on 26 December before Judge Brian O’Shea, who had refused bail. He had noted the evidence of Detective Garda Daniel Treacy who had objected to bail and told the court he believed the youth would be “likely to commit murder if released”.
The judge had said it was alleged the boy engaged the complainant through the Whisper social media app and lured her to various abandoned locations.
The boy allegedly used a knife to inflict a “lengthy transverse laceration to her neck”, the bail hearing was told. The teen has no previous convictions and no history of drug addiction or abuse, the court had heard.
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