A 17-YEAR-old boy wept in court today after being charged over an unprovoked “extremely violent” robbery of an English tourist in Dublin’s Temple Bar.
Three men, in their 20s, were taken to St James’s Hospital after an incident at Fownes Street Upper in Dublin at about 10 pm on Friday. Two of them were members of an amateur soccer club who came to Dublin for a friendly match.
The teenager, arrested at the weekend, was charged at Pearse Street Garda station and held pending his appearance before Judge Deirdre Gearty at the Dublin Children’s Court this morning.
He is accused of robbery of tourist Charlie Carter of his wallet and contents worth about €30, but has yet to indicate a plea.
The court heard claims that the teen punched Carter, forced him to the ground and saw an “easy opportunity” to rummage through his pockets.
The west Dublin boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was granted bail over Garda objections, but was ordered to obey a list of strict conditions. He will appear again on 5 September for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions to be outlined.
Carter is a member of the amateur soccer club St John’s Sports from Aylesbury in England; his team came over on Thursday to play against St Kevin’s Football Club in Whitehall.
The fixture was due to take place on Saturday but was cancelled following the incident. He has returned to the UK and was expected to seek medical attention today.
The teenager entered the courtroom sobbing, rubbing his eyes, and he cried throughout the contested bail hearing. He was accompanied to the proceedings by his mother.
Garda David Dolan told the court he obtained a warrant to arrest the boy in the early hours of Sunday. The teenager was detained, availed of a rest period, and was further held for questioning until he was charged just after noon.
The court heard he “made no reply” to the charge.
Opposing bail, the garda said Carter was with two other tourists and a third man they met that night.
A fight involving a large group ensued.
It was alleged he was punched to the rear of his head by an unknown male and that the accused “punched Mr Carter in the face with a clenched fist before a third male punched him”.
Judge Gearty heard Carter held his hands to his face while the accused allegedly put his hand in his trouser pockets” and then “forced him on the ground where the accused continued to search his pockets”.
The court heard that the man received a kick to the head from another person while, it was claimed, the teenage defendant “continued to rummage through the injured party’s pockets”.
His wallet was taken from his left front trouser pocket.
The boy allegedly tried using his bank card in a nearby Centra shop, but staff required him to make a chip and PIN payment which the accused declined before leaving the store.
The court heard that gardaí spoke to the boy at nearby Cecilia Street about an hour after the incident and had a note of his clothing.
CCTV footage obtained from three locations was described as “excellent quality”, and Garda Dolan alleged one camera “captured the entire incident, and the accused punching him in the face and stealing the wallet”.
The court heard Carter lost a silver necklace during the incident, but that was not evident from the video evidence gardaí have.
Garda Dolan said: “It is clear this robbery was unprovoked and extremely violent in nature.”
The tourist had bruising to his head, face and neck and a suspected broken nose; although he was taken to St James’s Hospital, he left before receiving medical attention. However, he had an appointment for treatment today.
The court heard gardaí seized the teen’s clothing when they arrested him at home. During his interview, he watched the video evidence and “admitted to seeing it as an easy opportunity to take a wallet from Charlie Carter’s pocket while he was lying on the ground”. The court heard the wallet was dumped in a bin later.
Cross-examined by Brian Keenan, the boy’s solicitor, Garda Dolan agreed that the teenager had no prior convictions.
He accepted that a large group was involved and that the boy was not alleged to have been directly involved in assaults on anyone else.
He also acknowledged that gardaí would recommend trial on indictment at a higher level and that refusing bail could result in a “significant period” in custody on remand until a Circuit Court trial.
The solicitor put it to the garda that the evidence about the injuries and suspected broken nose was “complete speculation”. The garda replied it was from visual observation, and he agreed the teenager cooperated on the arrest.
Pleading for bail, Keenan submitted the objections to bail were on “shaky grounds”.
He asked the judge to note that his client had no prior convictions, the absence of medical evidence, detention was a last resort in juvenile cases, and that there was no evidence of witness interference.
Keenan submitted that even if convicted, the teen may not receive a custodial sentence.
He also stressed that the court must disregard the significant media attention and deal with his client like any other juvenile with no prior convictions.
He argued that the imposition of bail conditions could address the garda’s concerns, adding: “Finally, the seriousness of the allegation is not lost on him; that is obvious from how he presents here this morning.”
Judge Gearty held that there was no significant risk of witness interference or that the teen would not turn up for trial if released. She noted that the court did not have any medical details and that there could be a delay if the case is heard on indictment.
She granted bail but imposed conditions recommended by Garda Dolan:
The teen, still visibly upset and given tissues to wipe his face, spoke up to say, “I will stay out of Dublin 2,” and to tell the judge he had a phone.
Judge Geary warned him it was necessary to adhere to bail conditions, and she granted legal aid.
The teen said, “Thanks, judge,” and left with his mother and solicitor.
The judge stressed to members of the media that the Children’s Act reporting restrictions mean the teenager has the right to anonymity.
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