Girl, 14, remanded to Oberstown after bail denied at Portlaoise children's court
A 14-year-old girl was led sobbing from Portlaoise children's court after a judge revoked her bail over 15 alleged curfew breaches in May.
Girl, 14, remanded to Oberstown after bail revoked in Portlaoise
A 14-year-old girl was taken into custody from the children's court in Portlaoise last week in tears after a judge refused to grant her bail, laois-nationalist.ie reports. She was remanded to Oberstown children detention campus ahead of a 2 June sitting of Tullamore District Court.
The teenager had been brought before Judge Andrew Cody for allegedly breaching her bail conditions on 15 separate occasions between 1 and 25 May. The breaches centred on curfew violations, with gardaí noting the incidents occurred at 1am, 2am and 3am.
A garda told the court that while on duty on 25 May she received a phone call at 2am from the care home where the girl was placed, reporting that the teenager had not returned. The garda collected her and brought her back to the house. Thirty minutes later, the care home rang again to say the girl had gone missing once more.
Gardaí objected to releasing her on bail, citing the repeated curfew breaches. The original bail conditions required her to be in the care home between 8am and 8pm each day, a condition imposed at a previous court sitting.
Solicitor raises concerns over care home conditions
Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick challenged several of the alleged breaches, noting that the warrant for her client was dated 28 May — a date on which no breach had been recorded. She said that on the occasions cited by the garda, no one from the care home had come to collect the girl. She also argued that some of the evidence relied on hearsay from care home staff, none of whom were present in court to give testimony.
Ms Fitzpatrick described the care home as managed by a private agency that "simply supplies accommodation" to her client. The placement has not been considered ideal — the girl sleeps on a mattress due to the absence of a bed, and staff do not respond when she asks to be collected. Ms Fitzpatrick told the court there is only one other young person in the house, "who screams all night," that there are no additional facilities, and that the home operates with very little supervision.
"She has asked for a bed and a TV that would keep her in," Ms Fitzpatrick said. "It's an unhappy house." She added that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is seeking alternative accommodation for the girl. The solicitor also told the court that the teenager's mother "is in the throes of addiction" and that her father "is no support at all to her."
The garda clarified that the breaches related solely to curfew and that there were no issues involving drink or drugs — only concerns about "the company she is keeping."
Judge revokes bail
Taking the stand herself, the girl told Judge Cody: "I promise I will keep my curfew. The staff don't care about me." When the judge asked why she was out until 2am or 3am, she replied: "I do be out on the town with my friends."
Judge Cody revoked bail, stating: "She has to be in by 8pm. Even in the witness box, she is blaming other people." He added that she "is a danger to herself" and had "run out of road."
Ms Fitzpatrick warned that remanding her client in custody would reverse any progress the girl had made to date. The judge was not persuaded.
Gardaí, her solicitor, a social worker and youth workers escorted the girl — sobbing — from the courtroom.
Background charges
Bail conditions had originally been imposed on the teenager following charges connected to a number of incidents in Portlaoise. These include assault causing harm on 17 January last year at Fitzmaurice Place; a further assault causing harm at Park View on 8 April this year; theft of Red Bull and sandwiches valued at €65.80 from Downey's Centra on Dublin Road on 14 April; and theft of €80 worth of vapes from Cloud Treats, Market Square, on 25 April.
Under Irish law, persons under the age of 18 involved in criminal proceedings are entitled to strict anonymity and cannot be identified by the media. This article was funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)