The 17-year-old teenager found guilty of falsely imprisoning former Tanaiste and ex-Labour leader Joan Burton and her aide during the infamous Jobstown incident, has been granted a ‘conditional discharge’ by a judge today.
This effectively means that the teenager will avoid a criminal conviction if he stays out of trouble for the next nine months.
Ms. Burton said that she had “no desire to see any young person go to jail over this.”
There was a large public presence outside the courthouse as the proceedings got underway, and chanting could reportedly be heard all along.