Teen beaten with baseball bat during attack at Louth shopping centre

By Francis Carroll, The Drogheda Independent

A teenage boy was beaten with a baseball bat and stamped on the head when set upon by a gang which included two brothers, the circuit court has heard.

Nadeem Hossain (24) and Nahid Hossain (23), both of Dowdalls Crescent, Newry Road, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. In each case a charge of violent disorder is being taken into consideration.

The victim was their brother-in-law who ultimately did not co-operate with a Garda investigation. It was alleged that he had stolen money from them.

A sentence hearing was told that Nadeem Hossain took responsibility as the “main mover” in the attack which occurred on April 18, 2022, and was captured on CCTV.

Gda Shane McGivney said that the boy, aged 15 at the time, was walking with friends at Marshes Shopping Centre when four people alighted from a car which had suddenly stopped.

Nadeem Hossain shouted, “Where’s my money?”, before hitting the teenager on the head and body with a baseball bat.

The two brothers began kicking him on the ground. One of the teenager’s companions noted that one of the group stamped on his friend’s head.

Marshes security intervened. The assailants got back into the car and drove off.

The injured youth was brought to hospital by ambulance, bleeding from the head.

Gardaí subsequently stopped the car and spoke to Nadeem Hossain, Gda McGivney continued.

He made admissions, signed the notes and was arrested.

He believed the younger man had robbed money off him. He lifted him by the throat and “battered him on the ground”.

This defendant accepted that he kicked him on the head and stamped on his head. He took responsibility as the “main mover” in the assault.

When it was put to him that the other person could have been seriously injured if not killed, he replied, “I didn’t think if that”.

There were bloodstains on his tracksuit, and bloodstained bank notes in the footwell of the car.

When Nahid Hossain was arrested he denied any involvement.

A female co-accused was dealt with in the district court.

Nadeem Hossain has 11 previous convictions from the district court, all for Road Traffic matters.

Nahid Hossain has one for Section 3 possession of drugs. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month in the circuit court for possession of cocaine for sale or supply.

Gda McGivney agreed with barrister Stephen Faulkner, instructed by solicitor Ciarán Mulholland, that a family dispute had made its way into the public arena.

Gardaí were told that the victim had taken Nadeem Hossain’s wages.

There were no further incidents between them. The injured party had gone to Morocco.

Mr Faulkner said that the two accused men were remorseful and deeply ashamed. They wanted to put on record their apology to the people who witnessed it and to the court and Gardaí.

A very serious incident got “out of control”.

Nadeem Hossain, a father of two, was described as a businessman doing well for himself, and Nahid Hossain a part-time delivery driver.

Judge Dara Hayes remarked that one character reference seemed to minimise what occurred, describing it as a misunderstanding; while others had all the appearances of employment references.

Mr Faulkner said that the authors were aware of the purpose of the correspondence.

Adjourning sentencing of both men to meet up with Nahid Hossain’s other matter on November 11, Judge Hayes said that this was serious offending which he didn’t characterise as a misunderstanding.

They were not entitled to take the law into their own hands.