Teen girl faces trial over gang attack on boy

She ‘falsely accused him of assault’

A TEENAGE girl is facing a Circuit Court trial after a judge heard a male Leaving Cert student was beaten and stabbed repeatedly by a gang after she allegedly falsely accused him of assault.

The boy, 17, lost out on a soccer scholarship in the US due to his injuries, Dublin Children’s Court was told.

The girl, also 17, is charged with assault causing harm, committing violent disorder with five others and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the boy.

The boy was seriously injured on September 19, 2015, at Edenmore Park in Donaghmede, north Dublin, the court heard.

Garda Brian Healy said the boy intervened in a row between the defendant and another girl. He walked the second girl to a place of safety, the court heard.

It was alleged the defendant – who was 15 at the time – assaulted him and ‘threatened to have him cut up’, then made a call to another youth telling him the boy had assaulted her.

Damian McKeone, defence counsel, said this will be denied.

Garda Healy said it is alleged five youths arrived armed with a baton, a knife and crutches and confronted the boy.

He said the girl’s accusation was the catalyst for the assault on the boy.

He was stabbed ‘on a number of occasions in the back’, struck with crutches and punched, the garda said. It was alleged the boy was chased to a second location where he was struck on the head with a baton and stabbed repeatedly.

The attackers fled when locals came out of their houses to find the boy was struggling to remain conscious and had a number of visible stab wounds, the court heard. He was rushed to Beaumont Hospital where it was discovered he had a punctured lung, the court was told.

CCTV evidence was shown in court of young people running to the scene of the second attack and running in the opposite direction later. Garda Healy said the girl was among that group.

He agreed with the defence that the girl had not caused the injuries sustained by the boy but he said she had allegedly threatened the teen: ‘I am going to get you f ***** g sliced.’

Garda Healy said the boy spent two weeks in hospital but had to return last year for two days as a result of problems related to the attack. He had been due to take up a soccer scholarship in the US but has been unable to do so because of the alleged attack, the garda said. Mr McKeone put it to the garda that the girl asserts she had been assaulted. Garda Healy said there were independent witnesses who claim she was not assaulted.

Judge John O’Connor held that the girl’s case was too serious to be heard in the juvenile court and must go forward to the Circuit Court, which has tougher sentencing powers. The girl was ordered to appear in court again later this month.

Two youths have had their cases in relation to the alleged incident dealt with in the Circuit Court, while three others are still before the courts.

‘Stabbed in back repeatedly’