Two held as Snapchat fight boy left in coma
A TEENAGE boy is in a coma after he was beaten up in a ‘planned fight’ over a pair of shoes, organised on social media.
The Irish Daily Mail can reveal that two young men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested in Swords, north Dublin, on Wednesday and Thursday.
One was arrested for the alleged serious assault on Adam McDonnell, 17, while the second arrest, a friend of the injured boy, was taken into custody for allegedly withholding information. The alleged assault took place in the early hours of Sunday, September 2, near Airside Retail Park.
While it is considered most likely that Mr McDonnell will survive, he is expected to be left with ‘life-changing brain injuries’ according to a senior source. Mr McDonnell and his attacker met up for a ‘straightener’ after getting into an argument over shoes on the multimedia messaging app Snapchat.
Sources say that 14 teens were present and witnessed the prearranged fight.
A source added: ‘There is a huge element of their pals on both sides egging them on online to meet up and have a fight. Unfortunately, the worst happened. None of these young lads are involved in criminality, all are normal teens, well brought up, who would have had plans for college. There are no winners in this situation. Unfortunately the victim in this case is not expected to ever fully recover.’ Mr McDonnell’s mother Aileen spoke out about her devastation over her son’s injuries in the aftermath of his attack.
‘Adam is very interested in fashion, and he has been slagged about it. This is all over a pair of shoes. Clothes mean more to him than just looking well. He had an interview last week in Griffith College to do a course in fashion design. It’s just his thing.
‘Adam is not a violent person, and people were picking on him and antagonising him about his clothes and shoes. They would torment him, and it seems they said that if he didn’t show up they would call him names. Adam isn’t a fighter. He doesn’t look for trouble. He’s a quiet lad and well-liked, and some people are jealous of that and bully him.’
Mr McDonnell lives in Donabate and completed his Leaving Cert in Swords this year.
He is in an induced coma after surgery to have parts of his skull removed temporarily to reduce pressure on his brain.
His heartbroken mother added: ‘This could be a murder inquiry yet, we just don’t know.
‘He’s in a coma and we don’t know if he will come out of it, or how he will be if he comes out of it. If he survives, we don’t know if he’ll ever be the same again.
‘We just hope his age and his health go in his favour. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.’
‘This is all over a pair of shoes’