A 17-YEAR-old boy, who was in a group of youths that threatened to slice a commuter in a mugging in a Dublin city-centre alley, has been given a six-month deferred sentence.

The Dublin Children’s Court heard the man, who is in his early 40s, had got off a bus and trying to catch the Luas as was heading to work at about 6.50am on 9 May 2019.

Garda Leanne Byrne said he made his way from on Custom House Quay through Harbour Court to get to the stop on Lower Abbey Street.

He was approached in the alley by three males and “threatened with a Stanley blade”.

He was told to hand over his phone and “one male threatened to slice him,” the court heard.

Garda Byrne said the man feared for his life and fled.

The teen was arrested two days later after CCTV evidence was obtained, and he made full admissions.

The court heard he owned up to making a fist at the victim and was not the person with the blade.

The youth is the only one of the three to come before the courts, the court was told.

Garda Byrne agreed with defence solicitor Brian Keenan that when questioned the boy had admitted the incident would have caused the trauma for the victim and made him afraid.

The solicitor submitted that the boy’s admissions shortly afterwards may have given some comfort to the victim.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended that the youth, who is in care, should be tried in the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers.

Keenan said there had been a delay in bringing the case close to his client’s 18^th birthday. He would be dealt with as an adult if the case was sent to the higher court.

He was aged 15 at the time of the incident.

The youth was in care, had complex needs and was offering a guilty plea to the attempted robbery charge, the judge noted.

Jurisdiction was accepted for the case to be dealt with at Children’s Court level.

A probation report on the youth was prepared.

Judge Paul Kelly imposed a six-month sentence but deferred activating it to monitor the teen’s behaviour over the next six months. The boy was ordered to appear again in December when the court will have an updated welfare report and a it will be decided if the sentence should be activated or suspended.