The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was remanded on continuing bail by Judge John O'Connor at the Dublin Children's Court to allow a pre-sentence probation report to be completed.
The boy, who is in care, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted robbery of the man at Citywest Campus Luas Stop, Citywest, Dublin on the night of July 25 last.
Garda Adrian O'Sullivan obtained CCTV evidence and played the footage in court. Judge O'Connor has said it was “not easy to watch”. The video showed a young man, aged 20, walking and then the teen and his co-defendant began following him.
He was pushed off a path on to a grass verge where he was knocked down. Gda O'Sullivan said it was an unprovoked attack.
During the approximately five-minute incident he was beaten and the pair repeatedly stamped on his body. The man rolled in a ball to protect himself as the teens rained kicks and punches to his head an body.
At one stage during the beating, the defendant could be seen leaping in the air and landing with both feet on the body of the young man.
Judge O'Connor also noted that at point the teenager “had to be restrained” by his accomplice.
The muggers then stopped and briefly walked away but came back to pick the man up off the ground, before they resumed attacking him. He continued to sustain blows and was knocked back on to the ground and stamped on again. The teens fled when a security guard saw what was happening.
A medical report was not available but Gda O'Sullivan has furnished the court with pictures of the man's facial injuries. The court has heard he made a recovery. However, he remained shaken up as a result of the incident which has been described by the judge as barbaric.
Defence solicitor John Quinn has asked the court to note the youth made admissions, co-operated with gardai and was anxious to plead guilty to the offence.
A care worker has told the court that the boy is “not a bad kid” but can be difficult at times. He had a place in college but did not go.
He already has three prior convictions including assault causing harm which resulted in him receiving a suspended sentence in 2013. His other offences were failing to turn up to court and criminal damage which result in him being placed on probation.
A co-accused, also aged 17, was given a 10-month custodial sentence in December.