Teen (19) jailed for unprovoked attack on British tourists in Temple Bar

A teenager who was part of a group of youths who carried out an unprovoked attack on British tourists in Temple Bar has been jailed for three years.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Scott Cahill (19) of St James Road, Greenhills, Crumlin, Dublin 12, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault causing harm in Temple Bar on August 11th, 2023.

He has four previous convictions, which include assault and the production of an article. Cahill was on bail at the time of this offence.

Passing sentence on Thursday, Judge Pauline Codd noted the victims were “subjected to an unprovoked attack by the accused and a group of other teenage males”.

She said that Cahill’s involvement through punching, kicking and stomping on one of the victims was a “significant” aggravating feature. The judge said other aggravating factors include that Cahill was on bail at the time and the impact on the victims.

The judge said she had considered the mitigating factors, including Cahill’s guilty pleas, expressions of remorse, his youth and the contents of reports submitted to the court.

Judge Codd imposed an effective sentence of five years, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, including that Cahill place himself under the supervision of the Probation Services upon his release from custody.

She backdated his sentence to September 5th, 2023, when he went into custody. Judge Codd said the court noted that Cahill “hasn’t been particularly well behaved in prison,” and it was important Cahill understands that he must be of good behaviour in prison and for the duration of the suspended sentence.

At a previous hearing, Garda Derek Brereton told George Burns, BL, prosecuting, that four British tourists were the victims of violent disorder just after 10pm on the night in question.

The court heard that the tourists encountered a large group of youths who asked if they wanted to buy drugs. One of the tourists declined the offer and walked on and then felt a punch to the back of his head.

The court heard Cahill (then 18) punched three of the men several times, both when they were standing and while they were on the ground. He also stamped on the head of one of the men.

CCTV of the incident was shown to the court, and gardaí used this footage to identify Cahill. On his arrest, clothing matching that shown in the CCTV footage was seized.

Gda Brereton told the court that two of the men were taken to hospital with the following injuries: a broken nose, bruising and swelling to the left eye, lacerations and one had a cut to the back of his head that needed to be glued.

Victim impact statements were handed into the court from the men. The statements described how one of the men struggled to feel safe and had been diagnosed with PTSD. He said that he “lacks confidence” and, at a time, “was physically unable to leave the house”.

A second injured party said that he suffers from constant headaches, is hyper-vigilant in crowded areas and has lost interest in activities since the attack. He said he “was an outgoing person who liked to travel but now is a nervous wreck”.

Scott was refused bail and has been in custody since September 2023.

Gda Brereton agreed with Michael O’Higgins, SC, defending, that his client was 18 at the time of the offence and that he had serious substance abuse issues.

The garda agreed with counsel that Cahill had a turbulent childhood and was not difficult to deal with. The garda further accepted that Cahill identified himself on CCTV.

Mr O’Higgins said, “This is a serious case and is recognised by my client as serious. It lasted less than a minute, and the level of violence was strong”.

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Counsel said Scott has shown empathy and remorse and has a desire to correct his behaviours.

He said Scott grew up in a volatile environment and was placed into foster care as a child.

He asked the court to take into account the contents of a psychological report and a probation report.

Mr O’Higgins noted that his client is assessed at high risk of re-offending and asked the court to structure a sentence to include a period where his client would be under the supervision of the Probation Service. He said his client now has family support and is undertaking a number of courses while in custody.

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