Girl (14) led sobbing from Portlaoise court after being denied bail
Portlaoise Courthouse
A young girl was taken into custody from the children’s court in Portlaoise last week sobbing after being denied bail.
The 14-year-old was brought before the court for allegedly breaching bail conditions on 15 occasions from 1-25 May.
Gardaí objected to releasing the youth on bail, citing the breaches relating to curfews that had been imposed on her at a previous sitting of the court that she had to be in a care home between 8am and 8pm each day.
A garda told Judge Andrew Cody that while she was on duty on 25 May, she received a phone call at 2am from the care home informing her that the youth had not returned to the house. The garda picked her up and brought her back to the house. However, half-an-hour later, the care home phoned again to say the young girl was missing.
The garda said the breaches in the curfew centred around the times of 1am, 2am and 3am in the mornings.
Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said that a warrant for her client is dated 28 May, but there had been no breach of bail on that date. She said that on occasions mentioned by the garda, no one from the care home had collected her.
She said the breaches also relied on hearsay evidence from care home staff, who were not present in court to give evidence.
Ms Fitzpatrick said the care home is managed by a private agency “and simply supplies accommodation" to her. It has been accepted that it is not the ideal placement for her. She sleeps on a mattress because she hasn’t a bed in the home. When she asked staff from the home to collect her, they won’t. Nobody comes to get her. She’s asking not to be sent to Oberstown (children detention campus).”
The garda said that the breaches only relate to the curfew and there is no drink or drugs issues involved only “the company she is keeping.”
Ms Fitzpatrick again said: “She is asking not to remand her in custody. There have been some nights when she’s been unable to get back into the house. There’s only one other young person in the house who screams all night. There are no extra facilities there. She has asked for a bed and a TV that would keep her in. It’s an unhappy house with very little supervision. When she goes out, she is told on.”
Ms Fitzpatrick said Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, are looking for alternative accommodation for the girl.
She said the child’s mother “is in the throes of addiction and her father is no support at all to her.”
Taking the stand, the young girl told Judge Cody: “I promise I will keep my curfew. The staff don’t care about me.”
Judge Cody wanted to know why she is out until 2am or 3am in the morning, to which she replied: “I do be out on the town with my friends.”
Judge Cody said he was revoking bail, adding: “She has to be in by 8pm. Even in the witness box, she is blaming other people.” Ms Fitzpatrick said that if her young client was placed in custody it would send any progress she had made to date backwards.
“She’s out up to 3am in the mornings,” said the judge,” ‘‘she’s a danger to herself. She has run out of road” and went on to remand the girl to Oberstown to the 2 June sitting of Tullamore District Court.
Gardaí, her solicitor, social worker and youth workers led the young girl sobbing from the courtroom.
Bail conditions had been placed on the young girl when she appeared at a previous sitting of the court charged with assault causing harm on 17 January last year at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise, assault causing harm at Park View, Portlaoise on 8 April this year, theft of Red Bull and sandwiches to the value of €65.80 from Downey’s Centra. Dublin Road on 14 April and to the theft of €80 worth of vapes from Cloud Treats, Market Square, Portlaoise on 25 April.
*Those under the age of 18 involved in criminal proceedings are legally protected by strict anonymity and cannot be identified by the media.
