A third youth will face a trial in the circuit court for an additional assault charge.
Two Dublin youths have been found guilty of violent disorder after an incident that resulted in a teenage girl being knocked head-first under a DART train.
On April 1 2021, CCTV footage emerged of a 17-year-old girl being pushed onto the train tracks at Howth Junction between the platform and a stationary Dart.
Investigating Gardaí charged three 17-year-olds with violent disorder.
One of the three faced an additional charge for assault by causing harm to the girl, but his case has been separated and sent forward to the circuit court for trial.
Judge Paul Kelly held the two other boys had peripheral roles, and he accepted jurisdiction for their cases to remain in the Dublin Children’s Court.
They pleaded not guilty and the case went to a full hearing.
Judge Kelly was told security guards removed a group of about ten youths off a train due to anti-social behaviour. However, they were still on the platform as a group of girls came and tried to catch the train.
One of the 17-year-old boys swung his foot at a girl from his bike, making contact with her head. In evidence, she described this as “daunting”, adding, “one of them lunged at me”.
A second girl was knocked head-first from the platform under the stationary train.
A member of security raised the alarm with the train driver and was she was able to be pulled back onto the platform.
Judge Kelly held that there was a clear threat of violence from the youths, noting the evidence of a security guard that the group was “intimidating people”.
One of the boys interviewed by Gardaí identified himself in the video evidence holding an electric bike. When gardai asked him why he left after the girl fell off the platform, he replied:
“I felt bad I didn’t help her, I was in shock. In situations like that, you just walk away. You don’t get involved.”
Judge Kelly noted the two youths had no prior criminal convictions and adjourned sentencing them for preparation of probation reports. The case will resume in June.
The boys, who were accompanied to the hearing by family members, have been ordered to obey bail conditions.
