Dundalk Court - Suspended sentence for teen who punched and kicked man

A teenager who punched and kicked a man whose face was slashed by his co-defendant, has been given a 21 months suspended sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court

The now 17 year old youth, who can't be named because of his age, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm arising out of the incident at the rear of the Imperial Hotel, Rampart Lane, Dundalk on August sixth 2023.

The 22 year old victim met the two defendants on Earl Street and discussed buying cannabis and followed them to a more secluded area, where his phone was taken and the older of the teens refused to give it back.

The then 15 year old defendant punched the man five times on the head and neck and the victim was slashed twice on his face by the older youth.

Read also: Dundalk Court: Brothers who attacked 15 year old boy have been jailed

In April, the boy’s father said his son had stepped away from the crowd he had been associating with, while his grandmother, who the boy lives with, told the court “He’s a totally, totally different child”.

In putting back the case to for an updated Probation report, Judge Dara Hayes told him had he been an adult “you’d be going to jail for a long time”, but he has to assess him differently as a child and he would give him the opportunity to not go to Oberstown Detention Centre.

In finalising the matter on Friday, Judge Hayes said the teen has done what I asked him to do and his Probation Officer described her overall engagement with him as being positive, he engaged twice weekly with his youth worker for mentor support but he was assessed as being of moderate risk of reoffending due to his antisocial peers and he warned him “watch who you are hanging around with”.

He imposed a 21 months sentence which he suspended in its entirety on the teen, entering a bond to be of good behaviour for that period, placing himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months and that he abstains from the consumption of alcohol and all illicit substances.