THE FAMILIES of three teenage boys from Waterford who were left scarred for life following a vicious and unprovoked acid attack are reportedly considering legal action.
It follows the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions not to charge the four young males responsible – one minor, one 19-year-old and two 18-year-olds.
The three victims were ambushed by the group at Earlscourt housing estate on April 30, 2019.
Their attackers beat them with chains and bats before throwing an unidentified corrosive substance.
All three victims suffered permanent scarring as a result.
They included 18-year-old Tega Agherihiere, a rising star in the Irish national team youth setup, who suffered serious burns to his face and potentially permanent damage to his sight.
Fellow 18-year-old Oisin Daly suffered third degree burns to his back in the attack while Padraig Sullivan, once a keen hurler, has had to undergo three skin grafts after suffering serious burns on his legs.
Though the perpetrators were arrested in recent weeks the parents of the three teens affected by the attack have learned that the assailants will not face criminal charges.
Each was contacted by the authorities who informed them that the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided to hand out juvenile cautions instead.
Now according to the Irish Sunday Mirror, the parents of the three teen victims are considering legal action against the authorities.
They are arguing that the attack should be recognised as a serious physical assault that left physical and emotional scars on the three victims.
Shirley Sullivan, the mother of Padraig, said: “We are talking to a solicitor now and no way are we letting this go.”
“It goes against our boys’ human rights that the people who did this to them are let off with a slap on the wrist. It was grievous bodily harm and they (perpetrators) need to see the inside of a court.
“They organised themselves into a gang and came out looking for trouble, and they were armed.
“They had baseball bats, they had a chain and they had acid in a bottle. Our boys are scarred for life.”
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