The Irish Examiner has reported that a teenager will be sentenced later this month for throwing a stone at another youth’s head in what the victim claims was a homophobic attack.

The 17 year-old teenager, who cannot be named as he is a minor, pleaded guilty at Dublin Criminal Court to assault causing harm on July 17, 2016, in a Dublin suburb.

The teenage boy has 24 previous convictions for assault, theft, burglary, criminal damage and trespass.

The victim of the attack, a young actor who is also under 18, was left needing 11 stitches with a scar above his right eye.

Garda Eoin Brennan told prosecution Antonia Boyle BL, that the 16 year-old victim and his 11 year-old brother were walking their dog on a local green when the defendant and another youth approached them.

The victim later told Gardaí that the pair called him “a dope” and “a fag” and were saying that he was gay.

He tried to ignore them and then felt a stone hitting his head above his right eye. Garda Brennan said, “he fell backwards, got very dizzy and everything became very blurry”.

The victim managed to ring his parents while blood poured down his face and the two youths ran away.

Garda Brennan said the victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital and after receiving stitches he was kept in for six hours for observation.

He stated in a victim impact report read by Ms Boyle, that his scar was “a constant reminder that I was attacked because of my sexuality”.

“I live in fear simply because I am gay. I have no confidence in my looks because of the scar,” the victim said before he added that he is living with stress and anxiety. He said one day he tried to jump out in front of traffic.

Having an interest in acting, the victim said he believes he has lost out on some potential acting jobs as a result of the scar.

She said there were two “very fulsome reports” which detailed the accused’s personal history and the difficulties he’s encountered, particularly with his mother.

She said the question was how could this situation be dealt with in the community before she asked the defendant how he would co-operate with the Probation Service and noted that he previously had a problem with his probation officer.

“I think I’ve grown up since and am ready to stop acting like a kid,” the teenager replied.

Judge Greally said that the boy’s previous convictions for “crimes of violence against both people and property” were serious risk factors.

“You are very close to the point that you are going to end up locked up in an adult prison. You have difficulties and you need to face up to them,” Judge Greally warned.

Ms Murphy told Judge Greally that her client accepted he was responsible for throwing the stone that hit the victim and had since “expressed shock about how the injury escalated to the level of seriousness that it did”.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the case to later this month when she will set a date for sentencing.