Five Dublin youths who failed to give evidence against a driver who hit one of them in a stolen car have been cleared of a contempt of court charge.
All five, four boys and one girl, failed to appear in court to testify and the case against the accused was dropped because of lack of evidence. A garda told the court that the five witnesses, all under 17, might have felt intimidated by the accused. Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court had previously threatened to send them to three months' detention if they failed to complete a community service order. He lifted the requirement after hearing that no reports on the five were available from the Probation and Welfare Services.
