A teenage boy carried out a "rage-filled" and suspected hate attack on a lesbian couple after seeing them cuddling at a bus shelter in Dublin, a judge has heard. The boy, 16, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, appeared at the Dublin Children's Court on Wednesday. The couple were not known to the boy, then 15, who used a homophobic slur and suddenly launched an attack and repeatedly punched them. The boy and a man approached the shelter; Ms Deane would later describe in her statement how the teen "made himself big and screamed in her face". Garda Phelan said the entire incident lasted less than a minute and agreed with defence counsel, Grace Sullivan, that the boy was under the influence of drugs.

Source: Irish Examiner July 05, 2023 21:28 UTC