A 16-YEAR-OLD BOY working for a dangerous “Fagin-like” criminal planned and carried out attacks on houses and torched four cars in a drug intimidation campaign across three Midlands counties, a court has heard.

The youth, now aged 17, pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to criminal damage and arson offences in 2025 targeting seven properties.

Detective Garda Kevin Lennon agreed with prosecutor Cathal Ó Braonáin BL that he was part of a team assembled to probe incidents of arson and criminal damage connected to drug debts in counties Westmeath, Offaly and Longford.

The teenager, who cannot be named because he is a juvenile, was charged after his home was searched and his phone was seized as part of another investigation into a drug and firearm seizure.

An examination of the device uncovered a series of videos and messages linking the boy to the incidents.

Judge Keenan Johnson described the incidents as “really shocking and very, very disturbing”. He said the case reminded him of the Charles Dickens character Fagin and his team of child offenders, but added that these figures are “far more sinister and a lot more dangerous”.

The court heard details of several incidents. In the first, on 9 February 2025, in Tullamore, a woman stated that a few hours after going to bed, she heard a booming smash from downstairs. She believed it was connected to her grandson.

The teenager’s phone contained a video of the incident showing a person saying, “Walking up to the house, this corner house, isn’t it?” before smashing the windows.

His phone’s search history also showed he’d used Google Maps to locate the house, and he admitted to gardaí that he was scouting the property.

On 13 March 2025, in Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath, another house was targeted.

Two videos of the incident were found on the boy’s phone, including a message from a character known in his interactions with the teenager as either “D” or “Bob Marley”.

They discussed smashing windows; the teenager had paid another person to commit this offence once again, and the front windows of a house were broken.

Detective Garda Lennon said that following that incident, another house in Finea, Co. Westmeath, was targeted while a grandmother was at home with several family members, including four grandchildren. Her car and van were set on fire, and she and neighbours desperately fought to extinguish the flames.

The car was valued at €7,000, with insurance covering €3,000, while the van was valued at €7,000, with insurance paying €4,720 in compensation. The grandmother described the ordeal as terribly frightening, leaving the children in the house hysterical.

A video on the teenager’s phone showed him destroying evidence by setting a petrol can and gloves on fire. The footage captured the sound of victims screaming. His messages contained discussions with another individual about whether he would produce a gun if occupants came out of the houses.

He also sent a text message about leaving the scene and driving past as gardaí were arriving, remarking that they could not be caught because they were wearing balaclavas.

The teenager told gardaí that he did not bring a pistol to the scene.

The court heard that on 18 and 19 March 2025, a house in Mullingar was targeted when two youths arrived on an electric scooter and smashed the windows and a door at the front of the house. Two more videos of this incident were found on the boy’s phone.

During another incident in Mullingar on 9 May 2025, two vehicles were set on fire. Phone messages referenced that address, though no video footage of the incident was recovered.

The court heard that on 13 May 2025, an address in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, was targeted when another house had its windows smashed. Videos on the boy’s phone captured screams from the property. In messages with the associate “D” or “Bob Marley,” the two discussed whether to bring a firearm and mentioned a Glock.

On 1 June 2025, another house in Mullingar was targeted, with evidence on the boy’s phone showing a message instructing him to “get a nice video.”

Victim impact statements were read to the court, including one from a woman who said she feared for her baby’s life. Another victim stated she was left living in fear, and the court heard that some families were left with boarded-up windows until they could afford replacements.

John Hayden SC, defending, asked the court to note that the teenager had explained that some of the videos were filmed on his phone while others were sent to him.

He told gardaí he was afraid to speak out, believing he would end up dead, and stated that “it was them or me,” adding that individuals higher up the chain had drawn him into the activity and placed him under intense pressure. The court heard that he had either scouted, planned, or taken part in the incidents, and that each of the houses had been targeted over drug debts.

His parents accompanied the boy to court, but he was not required to give evidence.

The case was adjourned until Friday, when the youth, who remains on bail, is due back before the court for sentencing on separate firearms and €7,000 drug possession charges.