Boy aged 13 at time of sexual assault sentenced to detention

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A boy who was 13 when he sexually assaulted a teenage girl was sentenced to 10 months in detention at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a further 10 months of supervision by the Probation Services.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault on 20 June 2016. The proceedings were reported on 18 January 2018.

Garda Timothy McCaul told the court that the girl was 16 at the time and that she and the boy had been socialising separately in a public park. The report said the boy was intoxicated and being bullied by two men with him. After the girl offered to help him get a taxi, he pushed her to the ground, sexually assaulted her and ran away.

The boy was identified from CCTV footage and arrested. He told gardaí he had been in the area that night, remembered drinking Jagermeister and remembered nothing afterwards. He had no previous convictions.

Garda McCaul agreed with defence counsel Michael Lynn that the boy was sorry for his actions. Mr Lynn said his client had a very difficult childhood and a very low level of maturity. Judge Nolan said he had to consider how best to reform the boy and that he needed some normality in his life.