by Elaine Stenson
A District Court judge has refused jurisdiction in the case of a group of men accused of violent disorder after viewing CCTV footage of a 15-year-old being “relentlessly” beaten on the top deck of a bus at The Square in Tallaght.
Tallaght District Court heard that the attack took place on a bus on the evening of February 29th, 2024, at a carpark at The Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, Dublin 24.
Investigating Garda Sarah Cullinan told the court that CCTV footage, which was played during the hearing, is alleged to show two of the accused boarding a bus as it was leaving the carpark of the shopping centre at 9:30pm.
The footage shows two of the accused proceeding to the top deck, where one allegedly initiated the assault while another also allegedly beat the teenager, who was struck repeatedly with metal bars. Another accused is alleged to have remained outside the bus for the duration of the attack.
The five men who have been charged in relation to the incident are: Rasel Chowdhury (42) of Devoy Quarter, Naas, Co Kildare, Gao Jiansheng (44) of Belgard Square West, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Shafiulla Shafiulla (40) of Cookstown Way, Dublin 24, Kamrul Islam (43) of The Court, Westfield, Lucan, Dublin 22 and Md Imrul Mahamud (27) of St Alphonsus’ Road Upper, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
The men are charged with committing violent disorder under the Public Order Act. The charge alleges that, while acting together, they used or threatened unlawful violence in a manner that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety.
While viewing the footage in Tallaght District Court, Judge Patricia McNamara remarked that the attack “seemed to be relentless”.
After the CCTV was played, Judge McNamara said she could not call the attack a minor incident to be tried in the District Court and would refuse jurisdiction.
“It’s very fortunate that the young man was able to stand after the beating,” the judge said, noting the use of metal bars in the attack.
During the hearing, Judge McNamara enquired about the victim’s injuries. Garda Cullinan informed the court that despite several attempts to contact the victim, he has refused to engage with gardaí since the incident so there was no medical report.
Judge McNamara has allowed 12 weeks for prosecutors to prepare The Book of Evidence.
The court was also informed that one of the accused, Mr Gao Jiansheng, requires a Mandarin interpreter for proceedings.
The accused have been remanded on bail until June 19th.