A DELIVERY cyclist who stands accused of murdering a schoolboy, 16, can be named in the press, a Dublin judge has ruled.
Noting that the accused, George Gonzaga Bento, and the boy were not known to each other, Judge Victor Blake was satisfied that naming him would compromise the victim’s identity.
The teen was wounded during an incident that took place last week and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to Mater Hospital, RTE reports.
The secondary schoolboy cannot be identified owing to a recent judgment preventing the news media from naming deceased child victims.
Mr Bento, a Brazilian who has lived and worked in Dublin for several years, was charged on Saturday.
He appeared in front of Dublin District Court Judge John Campbell later that day, who ruled that his name could not be published to protect the identity of the victim.
He later informed a solicitor for Independent News & Media that it was a temporary order until the defendant’s next appearance, at which point the matter could be reassessed.
Mr Bento, who is a cyclist delivery driver in Dublin, appeared before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court yesterday.
He was remanded into custody and will appear again on March 4. Formal directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions will be provided in the meantime.
An interpreter relayed the proceedings to Mr Bento, who was dressed in a light brown tracksuit and did not address the court.
Tom Murphy BL, for the national newspapers and RTÉ, asked the judge not to prevent the naming of the accused, arguing that publishing his name would not prejudice his right to a fair trial.
It was accepted the child could not be identified owing to reporting restrictions under Section 252 of the Children Act.
State solicitor Mairéad White did not oppose the media request, and asked Detective Sergeant Shane Noone to give the court some factual background.
He disclosed to the court that three parties were at the incident, “and none of the three were known to each other”.
“It is the investigation team’s belief, and my belief, that they were not known to each other, that they were strangers,” he said.
There were two in one group, eight to 10 in another, and one other person was the third party, he told the court.
The State solicitor indicated the application would not be opposed on that basis.
The media’s barrister drew a distinction between this case and another recent case where an adult could not be named to prevent the identification of a deceased child.
“There is no link whatsoever between the accused and the deceased in this case,” Mr Murphy said, while adding, “there is no risk to the identity of the child, which I acknowledge is prohibited, there is no risk of that happening by identifying the accused”.
Barry Ward BL, for the defence registered no objection. Following a request by the defence, Judge Blake ordered that Mr Bento’s specific address could not be reported.
