A man was beaten across his head and face with a garden rake by a 14-year-old boy during an unprovoked attack in Dublin last year, a court has heard.
He was on his way home from work when the 14 year old and three other teenagers approached him, a garda said.
The boy "was carrying a garden rake which he used to strike this man in the face", the court heard.
The now 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty at the Dublin Children's Court to assault causing harm to the man, a Pakistani national in his 30s, at the South Circular Road, on June 17 last year.
Garda Mark Bolger told Judge Ann Ryan it was unclear how many times the man was hit. He added that it was believed that the boy "instigated" the attack.
Two witnesses intervened and may have prevented the man from receiving more serious injuries, the court heard.
The court was told that the man went into shock after the attack and declined medical attention because "he did not want to make a fuss".
Garda Bolger spoke to him recently and said the man had not realised at the time the seriousness of what had happened to him or how the situation could have developed.
Judge Ann Ryan heard that the boy, who was accompanied to his hearing by his father, was out of school. He had no prior criminal convictions but is awaiting sentence for another offence and a probation report had already been requested.
The Probation and Welfare Service are to focus on getting the teenager back into education, the court was told.
Sorry
In court the boy said he was sorry, which the judge accepted.
She remanded the boy to appear again in July for a pre-sentence probation report to be furnished to the court. She also asked for a victim impact statement to be obtained.
Another 15-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to possessing an iron bar as a weapon during the incident and is due to face a hearing at the Children's Court next month. Meanwhile, another boy, who was aged 13 at the time of the attack, was remanded on continuing bail.
hnews@herald.ie