Five teens were arrested and subsequently released without charge on Friday, May 19 in relation to the assault on a teenager near Navan, Co Meath on Monday, May 15.
Gardaí confirmed on Friday morning that three male juvenile teens in the Navan area had been arrested for alleged offences under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1999.
The three teens were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Garda Stations in the Meath Region.
In an update on Friday afternoon, Gardaí confirmed that two further juvenile teenagers had been arrested for alleged offences under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1999. They were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at Garda Stations in the Meath Region.
In the same update, Gardaí confirmed that the three male juvenile teenagers who were arrested on Friday morning had been released without charge. A file will be referred in the first instance for consideration for admission to the Juvenile Diversion Programme in accordance with Part 4 of the Children Act, 2001.
In a final update on Friday, Gardaí said that the two juvenile teenagers arrested on Friday afternoon had been released without charge. A file will be referred in the first instance for consideration for admission to the Juvenile Diversion Programme in accordance with Part 4 of the Children Act, 2001.
Investigations are ongoing.
Gardai also said on Friday: “An integral and essential part of every criminal investigation is to determine the motivation of the alleged offence.
“Currently there is no hate crime on the statute books. In accordance with Garda policy An Garda Síochána records motivation for an incident in accordance with the international McPherson Test.
“AGS has recorded this incident with a hate motivation based on the McPherson Test.”
On Wednesday, May 17, footage of the alleged assault on the teen in Navan, Co Meath circulated online, drawing millions of views.
The video shows a teen being punched, knocked to the ground, and kicked by a group of teens. At least one other teen attempted to break up the attack, but not before the victim was seriously injured.
A Gardaí spokesperson told IrishCentral on Wednesday that they are investigating the attack that occurred at approximately 2:30 pm on Monday, May 15.
The Gardaí spokesperson said the victim, a male juvenile, attended Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda "where he received treatment for serious facial injuries."
An Garda Síochána, who requested that the video of the incident not be shared any further online "out of respect for the victim in this case," is appealing to any person with information on the assault to contact Navan Garda Station at 046 9079930.
Most of the teens in the video were wearing jackets that have been associated with Beaufort College Navan. The incident, however, did not happen on school grounds.
Several politicians have publicly condemned the incident, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying that the victim "shouldn’t have been subjected to violence, shouldn’t have been humiliated by having that video posted online.
"It is a very sick kind of individual that posts pictures or videos with the purpose of humiliating other people."
A relative of the victim said on Thursday that they were “shocked, horrified, and upset” about the incident.
The family member added that the teen "is doing ok and being very brave about it but I don't think the whole brevity of the incident or shock has fully hit him yet.
"What happened is out there now and although what happened to him can't be undone, I hope something can be done so no other child suffers like this."
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