Youth jailed for five years for role in Oberstown rampage

Jack Walsh, 19, was one of five youths charged in relation to the incident which caused €3 million worth of damage to a unit at the campus, which was subsequently declared unsafe and demolished.

A further €500,000 worth of damage was caused to other units when inmates ransacked it, smashing televisions and windows.

Walsh was the only one of the five youths not charged with arson. However, he pleaded guilty to violent disorder and two charges of criminal damage at Oberstown on 29 August 2016.

Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Walsh “probably wasn’t as bad” as some of the others involved.

But Judge Nolan said that Walsh had been there and had taken part in very serious crimes. He suspended the final two and a half years of the sentence and ordered Walsh to be of good behaviour for the suspended portion of his sentence.

Walsh, who had been serving a 12-month sentence for theft at the time, has 45 previous convictions.

The court heard previously that the teenagers escaped from their bedrooms after threatening staff and demanding keys. Initially, three youths were let out of their rooms; then two further teenagers escaped when the windows of their rooms were smashed in and they were encouraged to get involved.

One staff member was injured when a door was pushed in on him, leaving him needing stitches to his face.

The court heard that at one stage one of the youths was heard saying: “The rapist was in Room One. Let’s burn the fucker out of his room.”

The teenagers all ultimately climbed onto the roof of one building and proceeded to smash up roof tiles which they then used as weapons to fire at staff, gardaí and later fire officers who arrived on the scene to put out a blaze they started.

Staff, fire officers and gardaí, including officers in riot gear and garda negotiators, all had to retreat from the situation because of the dangerous missiles being rained down on them by the youths.

There were serious concerns, not only for the professionals involved in trying to calm the situation but also the inmates themselves. There were genuine fears that if a teenager fell off the room he would be killed. Three other youths have previously been sentenced to five years in prison for their roles in the incident.

Clayton Brennan, 18, Nathan Ginty, 19, and Luke Cronin, 18, pleaded guilty to arson, criminal damage and violent disorder at Oberstown on 29 August 2016, although it was accepted that Cronin’s plea was entered on the basis that he didn’t actually start the fire but added fuel to it.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named as he is still a juvenile, pleaded guilty to the same charge. His case has been adjourned for sentencing tomorrow.

Ginty had 22 previous convictions and the 17-year-old also had 22 convictions. He was on remand at the time awaiting sentence for assault causing harm.

Cronin had convictions for offences including criminal damage. Brennan had seven convictions and was on remand awaiting sentence at the time.

Judge Nolan said the teenagers had destroyed or had tried to destroy an institution. “Four of them tried to burn the place down or at least set it on a fire,” he said.

He said they went on a “rampage” and caused significant damage. “It was a very frightening situation for everyone involved,” the judge said.

“They obviously broke the rules and disregarded the instruction from staff,” Judge Nolan said before he accepted that all five were very young at the time and had expressed their remorse.

Garnet Orange SC, defending Walsh, had argued that the youth was the last to leave his cell when trouble erupted, and among the first to leave the roof. “This breaking of ranks allowed others to break ranks as well,” said Mr Orange.

He also pointed to Walsh’s early guilty plea and his cooperation with gardaí as mitigating factors.

The sentence was backdated to May 2, when Walsh went into custody.

Sonya McLean and Jessica Magee, CCC.nuacht