Teen accused of knife attack faces murder bid charge

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy accused of a serious knife attack on a woman in Dún Laoghaire has had his case upgraded to attempted murder.

The Dublin teenager will now stand trial in the Central Criminal Court.

He was originally charged with assault causing harm to the 25-yearold woman and production of a knife at the baths, Queens Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, on December 23 last. The woman, who is of Irish-Malaysian descent, was found at around 3.20pm on the date of the incident and was hospitalised with serious injuries including a horizontal laceration to her neck.

A further charge of attempted murder has been brought against the boy, who faced his seventh hearing yesterday, before Judge John O’Connor at Dublin Children’s Court.

The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, had been refused bail on December 26 after Garda objections.

He has remained at the Oberstown detention centre since then, except for court appearances.

A State solicitor said yesterday that the boy, who has not yet indicated how he will plead, must face trial in the Central Criminal Court, on all charges. Defence solicitor Aisling Mulligan agreed. The teenager did not address the court.

The prosecution asked for a fourweek adjournment to complete the book of evidence.

The defence consented to him being remanded in custody for another two weeks, and the case resumes on March 26 next.

During the teen’s first court appearance on December 26, Detective Garda Daniel Treacy said he believed the youth would be ‘likely to commit murder if released’.

The court also heard that it was alleged the boy engaged the complainant through the Whisper social media app and lured her to various abandoned locations. The boy allegedly used a knife to inflict a ‘lengthy transverse laceration to her neck’, the court was told.