Public seek revenge on tearaway teen, court is told

Those concerns were aired at a District Court sitting last week over a 14-year-old eastern European teenager who was brought before the court charged with almost a dozen assaults, trespass and shoplifting offences between April 2022 and August 21.

The juvenile, who cannot be named because of his age, had been brought before a special court sitting in the midlands last Saturday week charged with allegedly leaving a man with a lacerated lip and suspected broken arm some 48 hours earlier.

Upon bail being granted subject to strict conditions, the court was told last Thursday of how the teenager allegedly went out two days later and breached those conditions when carrying out a shoplifting offence from a filling station in the same midlands town.

When arrested and charged over the latter alleged offence, Judge Susan Fay was told the teenanger told gardaí after caution:

“I am very sorry, I won't do it again.”

The court was further told of garda concerns that the teenager had “completely outgrown the ability of his parents to control him.”

Garda John Fitzmaurice also revealed how the severity of an alleged incident the teenager is alleged to have committed which included attacks on three men had culminated in a section of the wider public opting to impart their own form of restorative justice.

“There has been an element of vigilantism and a group of people went to take revenge,” he said.

Evidence was also heard from two Tusla employees, both of whom expressed fears of the teenager's behaviour and underlying belief that he “can do as he pleases.”

Following a considerable bail revokation hearing, Judge Fay said while she was “very concerned” about the conduct of the teenager, depriving a child of their liberty was “very much a last resort” of the court.

As such she adjourned the State's application to revoke bail to a sitting at a court in the midlands on Friday (September 1).

She did so on the basis that a letter be furnished by the teenager's school to confirm he had returned to his studies from the summer break and warned him any further incidents that came to the Gardaí's attention would almost certainly result in a period of detention.

“This is the last chance saloon”, she told him.

“There is a real risk you are going to Oberstown (Detention Centre), it's (case) not decided.”