A 17-year-old youth has pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the manslaughter of a Chinese student last year.
Three other teenagers have also pleaded guilty to other offences arising out of the death of 29-year-old Mr Zhao Liu Tao, on Beaumont Grove, Beaumont, on January 21st, 2002.
Daniel Jones (19), from Gardiner Place, Dublin, along with two accomplices, aged 15 and 17, pleaded guilty to violent disorder by using or threatening to use unlawful violence on the same date. The youths, except for Jones, cannot be named for legal reasons.
Ms Marie Torrens, defending the youth who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, said her client was doing his Leaving Cert and requested he not be sentenced until some date after June 12th.
Mr Anthony Sammon, for the 15-year-old, said his client would be 16 in April.
He was anxious that he be sentenced before his birthday because of "a certain regime" in St Patrick's Institution.
Judge Desmond Hogan said he had to deal with each accused on the same date and adjourned the sentencing of all four until June 24th. He said he would put no other cases in for that day because the hearing would take some time and he wanted to give it his full attention.
A fifth youth, who is 16, had his case adjourned for arraignment until March 19th after his counsel, Mr Erwan Mill Arden, said he was not ready to enter a plea on the matter. A sixth youth opted to go for trial by jury and his case was adjourned until May 19th. Mr Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, said the trial would last for about two weeks. All the accused are from Dublin's north side.
Mr McGinn was granted liberty to apply if victim impact reports were required on behalf of any members of the late Mr Zhao's family.
Jones was remanded in custody until his sentence date and is serving a sentence on a different matter. The other youths were remanded on continuing bail.
Mr Zhao died from head injuries sustained after he was struck a single blow with an iron bar by the 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The incident followed an altercation between the gang of Irish youths and a group of Chinese students.
The incident provoked outrage among the Chinese community in this State, who viewed it as racially motivated.