Judge Orders The Arrest Of 16 Year Old Boy Found Guilty Of Attacking Chinese Man

Wednesday, 21 June 2023 15:15

By Caoimhe Harney

CCTV footage showed the boy repeatedly punching the victim, while his teenage daughter stood nearby.

A judge has ordered the arrest of a 16 year old boy found guilty of attacking a Chinese man on a busy street in Dublin.

The Dublin Children's Court heard he was beaten up in front of his daughter, racially abused and made to apologise after giving out to another boy who squirted him with water.

The teen had denied the charge, claiming self-defence and that he was protecting his little brother, who had used a water gun before the incident, which "escalated" into a gang attack.

However, he was found guilty by District Court President, Judge Paul Kelly, following a contested hearing in April.

The boy did not show up for his sentence hearing today, and Judge Kelly issued Gardaí with a bench warrant.

CCTV footage showed the boy repeatedly punching the victim, while his teenage daughter stood nearby.

The accused admitted that he hit the victim up to seven times before others joined in, dragged the man along railings, and kicked his head and body.

In a victim impact statement, the court heard the man reported speaking to a young boy who sprayed him with a water gun, but the accused became racially abusive before he was physically attacked.

Afterwards, the group followed him and "made him apologise", or they would not leave him alone.

Gardaí arrested the accused three days later, after overhearing him telling someone about the incident.

The defence said he had an "instinctive reaction" to defend his brother.

However, convicting him, Judge Kelly said the teen - who can't be named because he's a minor- acted aggressively, not defensively.