The sentencing of four youths who pleaded guilty to the assault of a student on DCU campus grounds has been adjourned until next year.
The youths, two of whom are brothers, cannot be legally named as they are juveniles. Each teenager pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. They had no previous convictions.
The victim, Luke Davy (22), was walking through the campus with his girlfriend on February 25th last year when a group of four males and two females approached him near the DCU Sports Centre.
In the “unprovoked attack” he was punched and kicked repeatedly in the face and body for a period of around five minutes.
The teenagers fled the scene after the arrival of DCU campus security. Garda Barry Duggan found the youths hiding behind a tree at the Ballymun Road entrance to the campus a short time later.
The attack left Davy with a broken nose, damaged teeth and a fractured eye socket. He needed extensive dental work which had a “profound effect” on his social life.
CCTV footage of the attack was played for Judge Desmond Hogan during court proceedings. Judge Hogan described the attack as an “unwarranted and unexpected assault leaving the victim with serious injuries”. He also said that the CCTV footage was “deeply disturbing” to watch.
The decision to adjourn sentencing until January allows the Probation Service to assess each of the teenagers. Judge Hogan stated that if the youths had been adults he “would not have hesitated in imposing a custodial sentence”.
In a separate attack last February, two DCU students were also assaulted outside the college grounds. It is believed that the two students were set upon by a group of teenagers as they walked along Collins Avenue.
Following the attack, SU Welfare Officer Neil Collins urged students “to remain vigilant when walking to and from DCU, especially in the evening and at night”.
To ensure the safety of students on campus DCU provide 24-hour on-campus security and liaise with the local Ballymun Garda station who patrol areas in the direct vicinity of DCU.
Ciara Moore
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