Rugby player convicted of assault on son of Garda

ballooba

Not sure where this belongs. So I'll throw it in to AH.

What do you make of this? Seems from the article to be a bit of a family feud going on? And now the young chap is left with a conviction? possibly because one party has a member of the gardai in the family?

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNMHCWAUMH&rss=rss1

Rugby player convicted on assault charges
12/01/2007 - 18:35:24

A young rugby player who assaulted the 14-year-old son of a garda has been ordered to carry out 25 hours community service in lieu of three months imprisonment.

Rudi Vij (aged 18), of Glencairn Park, The Gallops, Sandyford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting John Peters causing him harm on October 25, 2004.

Garda Patrick Collen said that following the assault on her son, Mrs Rose Peters told another garda it might have occurred as a result of her and her husband, Garda Jack Peters, throwing pebbles at the window of the house which they rented to Vij's parents.

Judge Katherine Delahunt said: "The parents might hang their heads in shame for involving their children in this dispute."

Judge Delahunt said Vij was "a young man with a lot to contribute" and imposed a community service order of 25 hours in lieu of three months imprisonment.

Garda Collen said gardaí had been called to the address two days before this incident when the Vij family had been disturbed in the night by their doorbell ringing, stones and eggs being thrown at their house and lighted fireworks being pushed through their letter box.

Garda Collen said that John Peters, his 13-year-old brother and a friend bought Halloween masks and sat on the front wall of the Vij residence.


Rudi Vij, who had been inside the house with his father and siblings came running out with a hockey stick and chased the two other boys. He then attacked John Peters with the stick, hitting him on the shoulder and back and punching him in the face.

The boys had an egg with them which they told gardaí they were going to throw against any wall for fun. Rudi Vij told gardaí that the boys had been behaving in a threatening manner and looked like they were about to throw something at his house.

Garda Collen said John Peters rang gardaí from his mobile and ran to a neighbouring house looking for help. The neighbour was reluctant to become involved as she had a new born baby in the house but eventually let John Peters in. She heard Rudi Vij shouting: "If you come near my f-ing house again I will kill you."

John Peters told Judge Delahunt that he now had a different view of people and had suffered sleepless nights since the assault. He said he had never been so frightened in his life as he was during the attack.

Mr Justin McQuade BL, defending, said Vij was "an impressive young man who knew right from wrong" but had "seen red" and "crossed the line". He had no previous convictions and was a successful rugby player who had represented Leinster and hoped to play at "the very highest level".

Mr McQuade said Vij had acted to protect his family who had been the victims of "low level harassment and threats" and that matters in relation to earlier events were the subject of allegations before the Garda Complaints Board.

Also: http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=177&iArticleID=54437

In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday Rudi Vij (18) pleaded guilty to assaulting John Peters (14) in an escalation of a dispute between their parents; the Vij family rented a house from Garda Jack Peters and his wife. The court heard that the attack by Vij, which took place in October 2004, followed an incident in which Peters and his wife threw pebbles at the Sandyford house. Judge Katherine Delahunt admonished the parents for involving their children in the dispute. Sentence was adjourned pending a report from the Probation and Welfare Service.

phantom_lord

seems to be the wrong target to pick on...

InFront

Don't know, it's not a very remarkable news story. Scumbags exist everywhere and I see no reason to believe why the Peters family could be described as anything but that. But this is little more than local gossip and I fail to understand why it has been given so much attention on that website.

If anything Rudi Vij should view it as his playing abilities capturing media attention in other aspects of his life, celebrity has its drawbacks I am sure!

ballooba

phantom_lord wrote:

seems to be the wrong target to pick on...

I nearly pissed myself at that one. Good answer.

InFront wrote:

Don't know, it's not a very remarkable news story. Scumbags exist everywhere and I see no reason to believe why the Peters family could be described as anything but that. But this is little more than local gossip and I fail to understand why it has been given so much attention on that website.

If anything Rudi Vij should view it as his playing abilities capturing media attention in other aspects of his life, celebrity has its drawbacks I am sure!

It is a fairly low profile story. The Vij family have now moved to Kildare apparently.

I just thought it was a bit unfair that this chap got slapped with a conviction. That conviction will be with him for life and could affect him getting a Visa for the states etc. The Gardai probably wouldn't have even dealt with the incident only the young fella had a dad in the force.

As the judge said, the parents of both kids should be shamed of themselves for involving the kids in the dispute.

Should the Peters family get an ASBO slapped on them for the other incidents? :eek:

Vorsprung

Furst dey take r jobs n wimmen, now dere trowing stones n wacking de pigs wih sticks?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!throw em ou of de country

ballooba

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Furst dey take r jobs n wimmen, now dere trowing stones n wacking de pigs wih sticks?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!throw em ou of de country

Well, actually it was the 'pig' (-lets?) who were throwing the stones.

RuggieBear

What's rugby go to do with it?

Rb

ballooba wrote:

Well, actually it was the 'pig' (-lets?) who were throwing the stones.

Lol, imagine the Garda broke the window, he'd be the one (as landlord) paying for it. Not the smartest thing to be doing, harrassing your own tenants while they're inside a house you own.

ballooba

RuggieBear wrote:

What's rugby go to do with it?

Just a headline. I gues it's more interesting because the young chap plays for Leinster.

InFront

RuggieBear wrote:

What's rugby go to do with it?

Presumably Rudy Vij. He's pretty well known for schools, and more recently Leinster rugby. He was a Terenure College "hero" (inasmuch as they have heroes!)

Mossy Monk

RuggieBear wrote:

What's rugby go to do with it?

thats what i thought too when i read the first line

iFight

Title makes it out as if it's rugby's fault imo

crosstownk

Me too. I don't see where rugby comes into it. Thats like me getting arrested and the headline reading "Beer Drinker Gets Arrested"

Not that I'd ever be worthy of a headline in any paper - not even the free local rag!

ballooba

The headline on the article was:

Rugby player convicted on assault charges

Rb

Its an attention catching headline, thats what it has to do with it. "Boy/Man covicted of assault" won't grab half as much attention as "Rugby Player convicted of assault".

poobum

InFront wrote:

Presumably Rudy Vij. He's pretty well known for schools, and more recently Leinster rugby. He was a Terenure College "hero" (inasmuch as they have heroes!)

yeh i remember him, in the year ahead of me! not a hearo do...and hey! whats wrong with us that we cant have heros? ur just being a prick realy!

ballooba

poobum wrote:

yeh i remember him, in the year ahead of me! not a hearo do...and hey! whats wrong with us that we cant have heros? ur just being a prick realy!

Is that the level of english they teach in The Gick these days?

poobum

poobum wrote:

not a hearo do...

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Rb

"Not a hero though" was my interpretation of it, for what its worth.

poobum

bluewolf wrote:

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

i ment hero! didnt realise i had hit wrong button, sorry!

griffdaddy

RuggieBear wrote:

What's rugby go to do with it?

it was the raw rugby fueled agility and skill that he learned in Dublin 6w that allowed him to chase down and beat the little oink-faced cúnt's head in

kwalsh000

Just looked at the story and it was not the fact he was a son of a garda or the other chap was a rugby player that struck me but the fact that the kid was 14 and hes an 18yr old rugby player. Just my opinion but thats a scumbag/bullly.

poobum

kwalsh000 wrote:

Just looked at the story and it was not the fact he was a son of a garda or the other chap was a rugby player that struck me but the fact that the kid was 14 and hes an 18yr old rugby player. Just my opinion but thats a scumbag/bullly.

possible he thought the 14 year old was like 16 or 17? or did the paper say he knew him? i only say this because when i was 14 i looked about 17

Brian Capture

kwalsh000 wrote:

Just looked at the story and it was not the fact he was a son of a garda or the other chap was a rugby player that struck me but the fact that the kid was 14 and hes an 18yr old rugby player. Just my opinion but thats a scumbag/bullly.

The 14 year old seems to have started the row.

That makes a difference.

0utshined

John Peters told Judge Delahunt that he now had a different view of people....

Maybe that some of them won't take your shít if you provoke them? I'd say that's a good thing.

The kid brought it on himself and I have no sympathy for him, it's unfortunate that the rugby guy ended up getting a conviction out of it.

walrusgumble

same here. he, son of a garda, throw stones at anothers window? were is his punishment, oh ye he's a cops son (i know cause of his age, cant really do much). hopefully the punch will sort him out, little sh9t.

kwalsh000

If he did start it by throwin stones at a window then fair enuf he may have annoyed the 18yr old. But at the same time i dont have time for any 18yr old to hit a 14 year old. It wud be different lets say if the 14 yr old pulled a knife on the chap...without knowing the back story its hard to say anything for definate. But if the 14 yr old was acting a maggot alot then the parents need to cop on..no pun intended. As for the conviction, depends on the injuries..if he knocked the crap out of him then he shud get one..if it was just 'assault' for grabbin the kid and bring him back to the parents lets say or something not causin serious harm then it shud not be a conviction. Thats just my opinion is someone 18 should not hit a 14yr old child. And for those who say just because hes the son of a garda they did something about it, well thats not the reason, when i was 14 a 21yr old was out of it on something and gave me a hiding and the garda did their job as best they cud and cud have went further if i wanted it. The same would be said for any assault on a youth by someone older. Just the way the media focused on it being a rugby player..everyone else focuses on it being a son of a garda.

Without knowing the full story all i can say it was wrong to assault the kid..if it was a serious assault then a conviction was warranted..if not serious then different action could have been taken which would have left the 18yr old without a conviction. But either way if the kid started it then his parents need to sort him out

InFront

I'm not saying it's right, but isn't it pretty common for a fourteen year old to get beaten up by an eighteen year old who he was aggravating? Dunno what school you went to or what streets you all grew up on, but this kind of thing is pretty common.
I know Rudy Vij is a big deal, but he isn't that big of a deal... slow news day(s).

kwalsh000

After re reading it, i had a quick glance earlier. It does seem like the kid is a little ****..but at the same time the 18yr old should have realised there are penalties. I have no sympathy for the kid if he started it. But in a more general area older people assaulting kids is totally out of order. I know it happens alot unfortunatly, Ive experienced it myself at that age. It doesnt make a difference where you live either.

Il be honest tho..i have no idea who Rudy Vij is...and i personally dont care. Its a grey area between stoppin a lil kid like that acting up and assaulting him and brining law down upon urself. Without being there none of us can be sure exactly what happened..but thats just my opinion and i understand exactly where everyone else is coming from. Personally i would have rather seen the parents getting a bolockin for lettin their kid do that...but i do realise in certain circumstances the kid will get a hiding (esp looking at the amount of scumbag kids out there who will glady pull a knife on u and act up in big gangs)..

Hmm i have no idea where im goin with this :P