Christopher Dunne (17) was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of schoolboy Alan Higgins and to 13 years, with four suspended, for the robbery of his mobile phone and a sum of cash at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
Mr Justice Abbott, when sentencing Dunne, said the accused's behaviour on the night of the fatal stabbing was "absolute banditry", attacking a number of innocent young people.
The judge said Mr Higgins was walking home minding his own business after an "ideal day" when set upon by the three accused.
"If there was a cameo for an ideal young man, one could hardly get a more normally successful picture than that of Mr Higgins," Mr Justice Abbott said. This picture, the judge said, was "destroyed by this robbery". Mr Justice Abbott said Dunne caused "mayhem, destruction and tragedy" on that fatal night.
The judge said Dunne "does not seem to have got the message that crime doesn't pay", referring to his previous convictions for offences committed after the murder.
Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defence counsel for Dunne, made an unsuccessful application to treat the convicted teenager as a child under the 2001 Children's Act. Mr Justice Abbott ruled that Dunne, for the purpose of sentencing, "is not a young person".
Dunne's two accomplices on the night Alan Higgins lost his life, Michael Maher and Anthony Whelan, were sentenced to 10 years and eight years respectively for the manslaughter of Mr Higgins. All sentences are to run concurrently.
Maher (18), of Cromcastle, Kilmore West, had seven years of his 10-year manslaughter sentence suspended. Whelan (18), of Millwood Villas, had six years of his eight-year manslaughter sentence suspended.
Dunne, of Millwood Villas, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was found guilty of the murder of Alan Higgins (17), of Carraroe Avenue, Donaghmede, on October 13th, 2002, at the Central Criminal Court two months ago.
Mr Justice Abbott took into consideration the robbery of up to five teenage boys by Dunne when sentencing him for 13 years with four suspended for the robbery of Alan Higgins. Maher was given a seven-year sentence for the robbery of Alan Higgins with four years suspended.
Maher was also sentenced to one year for the assault of Mr Ciaran Delaney (18) in the hours leading up to the fatal incident. For the assault of a teenage boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, he was sentenced to three months and for the assault of another youth he was given a one-year sentence.
Both sentences were suspended on condition that Maher apologised to his young victims in court. After he was sentenced, Maher apologised, saying, "I am very sorry" in open court.
Whelan was sentenced to six years with four years suspended for the robbery of Mr Higgins. In relation to the assault on a young boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in the minutes before the fatal stabbing of Mr Higgins, he was sentenced to three years with one year suspended. For the assault of Adam McDermott and for the robbery of Ciaran Delaney, Whelan was given a nine-month sentence for each. After he apologised to his young victims, Mr Justice Abbott suspended one of the nine-month sentences.
As the sentences were handed down, Dunne held his mother Christina's hand as his sister Pamela sobbed heavily. Members of Maher's and Whelan's families also cried as each was sentenced.
The Higgins family sat together united, with the three accused sitting beside the bereaved family in the squashed Court Room 10.