A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a mother-of-two who died following astabbing in Dublin's IFSC.
Urantsetseg Tserendorj (48), originally from Mongolia but living in Dublin with her family for a number of years, was taken to the Mater Hospital after an attack on January 20th.
The incident happened at 9.30pm near the CHQ building at Custom House Quay as the office cleaner was making her way home from work.
She remained in a critical condition for two weeks before she died.
The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was arrested and remanded in custody after a brief court appearance on January 23rd.
He was aged 14 at the time of the incident and was originally charged with assault causing harm, attempted robbery and unlawful possession of a knife as a weapon.
The case was upgraded to murder when he appeared again at the Dublin Children's Court on Wednesday. The assault and knife possession charges were withdrawn on direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Detective Sergeant Brendan Casey gave evidence that he charged the boy at the court at just after 10.30am on Wednesday with the offence of murder contrary to common law. The boy replied “nothing” when cautioned and asked if had anything to say.
Det Sgt Casey told District Court president Judge Paul Kelly that the boy also replied "nothing" to an additional charge for production of a knife while committing murder.
He was handed a true copy of the charges, which was then given to his adult sister who accompanied him to the proceedings.
Det Sgt Casey said the DPP has directed trial on indictment in the Central Criminal Court on all the new charges, and also the charge of attempted robbery.
The boy has not yet indicated how he will plead.
He was also charged with other offences on the same date as the alleged murder: a threat to kill or cause serious harm to a man at a shop on O’Connell Street, and production of a knife while attempting robbery and an offence of robbery at Amien Street in Dublin 1.
He replied, “No, nothing to say to you” when Garda Emma Brady charged him with the alleged threat, and he had no reply when Garda Cathy Giblin charged him with the other two offences.
Defence counsel Alison Fynes said the boy would face trial on indictment for murder. However, a preliminary hearing needed to be held to decide if the Children’s Court should accept jurisdiction on the other charges, she said.
The boy was remanded in custody pending the preparation of a book of evidence. A bail application can only be made in the High Court in murder cases.
The boy will appear again next week at the Children’s Court.