A teenage boy has been charged with assault after a youth was seriously injured in a stabbing outside a Leaving Cert party in Dublin.
The incident happened as more than 150 young people attended an exam results celebration at Vela nightclub, at Liffey Valley, west Dublin, at about 12.30am on September 3rd.
Emergency services were called, and a youth in his late teens was rushed by ambulance to James Connolly Memorial Hospital in a critical condition.
A 16-year-old boy, whose identity cannot be reported because he is a minor, appeared at Dublin Children Court on Monday over the incident.
He is accused of assault causing harm to a male, at the Vela nightclub car park, on September 3rd, contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. He was also charged with possessing a knife as a weapon six days later at another location in west Dublin.
There was no application for bail, and he was remanded in custody to appear again next week pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He has not yet indicated how he will plead and faces the possibility of being charged with a more severe offence.
Detective Garda David Sheedy told Judge Brendan Toale that he arrested and charged the teenager on Sunday evening at Ronanstown station in Dublin.
The court heard, “In reply to charge after caution, he made no reply and was then handed true copies of each charge.”
Judge Toale asked if a responsible adult was present when the boy was charged, a legal requirement in juvenile cases. Detective Garda Sheedy confirmed that a peace commissioner was there at the time. However, Judge Toale also noted the boy’s father and another relative accompanied him to court.
The boy remained silent during the hearing.
Defence counsel Doireann McDonagh told Judge Toale that there was “no application for bail today”, adding: “obviously, we are reserving our position.” The DPP has so far given authorisation to charge the boy with the offences before the court. However, Detective Garda Sheedy added that directions would be sought to “escalate” the case to Section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, a charge of causing serious harm.
Gardaí are seeking further directions from the DPP, which could take at least four weeks, the court heard. Judge Toale noted the defence reserved its position on bail. The first remand in custody cannot exceed seven days, so he held the boy at the Oberstown children detention centre until his next hearing on September 19th. Legal aid was granted.