The Central Criminal Court has heard how a 15-year-old boy who attempted to murder a woman he met online was using the dark web and viewing extreme pornography.
The boy pretended to be 19 when he met his victim, choked her until she became unconscious and then stabbed her neck with a knife two days before Christmas 2017 in Dún Laoghaire.
His sentencing hearing, which has now been adjourned until October, has heard details of a psychiatric report from Dr Richard Church, who assessed the boy.
Dr Church says the boy is an ongoing risk to himself and others and this risk could be “life threatening”.
He told him he wanted to attack a person or a squirrel “but no squirrel came.”
He suffers from serious mental health issues, including self-harm, depression and violent tendencies.
The boy told Dr Church he had been watching pornography since he was aged 11 or 12 also used the “dark web” on a Tor browser.
Asked about the attack, the boy said he was happy his victim lived “because it meant I was not a murderer”.
Dr Church said the boy failed to fully accept responsibility and was superficial in his manner while being interviewed and spoke with a "rehearsed quality.”
