The sentencing of 17-year-old convicted murderer Christopher Dunne was adjourned until Monday at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
Mr Justice Abbott heard a full day's submissions yesterday and will complete sentencing next week.
Last October a jury of eight men and four women deliberated for just over three hours before finding Dunne guilty of murdering Alan Higgins, a schoolboy, of Carraroe Avenue, The Donaghies, Donaghmede, Dublin, on October 13th, 2002, outside UCI cinema, Coolock.
Dunne was also found guilty of robbing Alan Higgins's Nokia 3310 and a sum of cash.
As the murdered boy's mother, Mrs Miriam Higgins, delivered her victim impact statement yesterday, she put on her son's favourite black zip jacket. Her daughter Caitríona wore his hooded sweatshirt, his girlfriend wore his black silk Chinese shirt and his Aunt Anne wore his grey zip jacket.
Dunne, of Millwood Villas, Kilbarrack, Dublin, had denied murdering Alan Higgins.
He also denied robbing the victim's mobile phone and money.
Dunne's two accomplices were Michael Maher, Cromcastle, Kilmore West, and Anthony Whelan, Millwood Villas.
They pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the schoolboy on the morning the murder trial began last October.
The pair also pleaded guilty to robbing teenage boys in the UCI vicinity on the night in question.
Dunne yesterday admitted robbing five young boys in the hours leading up to the fatal stabbing of Alan Higgins.
Det Garda Kevin Fields told the court that Dunne and Maher had committed crimes since the death of Alan Higgins.
Garda Fields told the court that Dunne will be sentenced on Tuesday for the possession of €1,500 worth of cocaine, which was discovered at his home on September 28th, 2004, some days before his murder trial began.
The court heard Maher has two convictions, one committed in breach of his curfew conditions.
On June 30th, 2004, Maher was arrested for intoxication in a public place and trespass in a building.
As the sentencing hearing took place, the three accused men sat in the packed Court 16 with their heads in their hands.
Mrs Christina Dunne, mother of Christopher Dunne, sat alongside her son's co-accused with their families sitting directly behind them.
Garda Fields told the court that when Alan Higgins was fighting for his life in Beaumont Hospital, his girlfriend received a text message from one of the accused.
In the presence of gardaí, Ms Tanya Franchosa (18), received a text message at 11.45 p.m. through Alan Higgins's stolen mobile phone.
The court heard the text message read: "Yo, you're honey's phone has just been robbed."
The 20-plus members of the Higgins family sat behind the defence and prosecution barristers.
In response to an apology by Mr Erwan Mill Arden SC, on behalf of Whelan, Mrs Higgins said: "First of all, our addresses have been in the paper.
"If you can't express an apology in words, you can always put pen to paper and write. I don't accept an apology through somebody else."
Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defence counsel for Dunne, read a letter written by his client and his parents, Patrick and Christina Dunne.
It said: "Dear Mr and Mrs Higgins, writing this letter is very difficult, we can't imagine what it must feel like to lose a son.
"That our son is responsible for his death is very difficult to accept.
"I hope you and your family can accept this apology. You will always be in our prayers."
The court heard that at the time of the fatal incident Whelan and Maher were completing a FÁS course in Oliver Bond Street in carpentry.
Currently they both work for Mr Patrick Power, a meat wholesalers in Edenmore.
Mr Power told Mr Justice Abbott that if the pair go to prison there "would be a job waiting for them when they came out".
Det Fields told the court that a day after Alan Higgins was fatally stabbed, Dunne admitted: "I just stabbed the bloke, very sorry. I am very sorry, it wasn't meant to happen that way".
Det Fields said Dunne, in the company of his father and mother, voluntarily gave a statement regarding the fatal stabbing on October 14th, 2002.
In his statement to gardaí, the accused said "there was three of us and I did the stabbing with the steak knife".
"I got the knife out of my own house. I didn't get the phone, myself and Michael Maher got the wallet, there was about €115 in it. We took €50 each and spent it on smokes and drinks that night", the accused said.
In the hours leading up to Mr Higgins's fatal stabbing, the accused told gardaí that he went with Anthony Whelan and Michael Maher to an off-licence. "I had six cans and we smoked a joint" behind St Monica's youth centre in Edenmore.