Woman known to teen victim of viral attack in Navan linked to second alleged assault

Last week, five boys were arrested after a video of a teenage boy being assaulted went viral.

But now, gardai have confirmed they are aware of a second alleged assault that occurred last week.

It happened last Wednesday and sources describe it as an “alleged minor assault” that has not yet resulted in any arrests.

Senior sources said that an adult woman who is connected to the victim of the original assault was involved in an incident with a teenage girl.

“Tempers have been flaring around the town after this. It would be a major coincidence if what happened two days after the notorious incident is not linked.

“All of this is very sensitive at the moment and gardai are looking to ensure that there are no further incidents,” a senior source said.

The Irish Independent revealed earlier this week that a row on the Snapchat messaging service led to “serious tension” that sparked last week’s despicable scenes.

The video of the assault which caused political outrage and shocked the nation shows the 14-year-old boy walking out of school grounds at Beaufort College pursued by a group of other students.

One student punches the boy in the head, which emboldens others to attack him from behind. The boy tries to get away but falls to the ground where he is repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on by up to five other students as he tries to crawl to safety.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.

Officially gardai are treating the second alleged assault as a separate issue but sources say that the incidents are “very much likely to be linked.”

“There are no imminent plans for any arrest in relation to the second incident,” a source said.

Gardaí have confirmed that they are investigating an alleged assault on a teenage girl in Navan, Co Meath.

They say that the incident is reported to have occurred in the Trim Road area on the morning of Wednesday, May 17.

A garda spokesman added that medical assistance was not required and that investigations into this matter are “ongoing”.

Earlier this week we revealed that the five boys who were arrested last Friday have received detailed personal security advice from gardai after receiving abuse and threats online.

Senior sources said that included in this advice was a recommendation that the male juveniles “got off social media for at least a number of months.”

All five were arrested on Friday before being released without charge after they were questioned by specialist officers about their roles in the attack on Monday afternoon of last week which was videoed, went viral online and ended up making international news headlines.