The 13-year old’s father spoke to Liveline on Radio One on Tuesday afternoon.
A former county footballer in his late 40s has been accused of striking a 13-year old player during a GAA tournament that took place in the west of Ireland.
Speaking to Philip Boucher-Hayes on Liveline on Radio One on Tuesday, the 13-year old boy’s father said that his son was struck on the back of the head, just below the ear, and was also punched in the eye, a blow which knocked him to the ground.
According to the boy’s father, the 13-year old was sent off after becoming involved in an altercation with an opponent, whose father subsequently came on to the pitch and struck the boy on the field of play.
As a result of a subsequent investigation by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the 13-year old boy was issued with an informal caution and was to be entered into the Juvenile Diversion Programme.
The boy’s father said that he subsequently became aware that the parents of the other boy had lodged a complaint of assault against his son, but he wasn’t made aware of it until the file had been closed by the DPP.
RTE were informed by the county board in the county in question that the man accused of striking the 13-year old boy had been suspended by the GAA, information which the boy’s father had not been aware of.
The boy’s father addressed the wider issue of the behaviour of adults who attend children’s sporting events and in relation to this specific incident, he said: “God forbid if this lad had connected in a different way, we could have been talking about a totally different story, I mean this guy could have been done for manslaughter.”
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