Mother slams social services after son 'had to be pepper-sprayed'

A mother has claimed social services have done nothing to help her deal with her troublesome teenage son.

The 17-year-old's mother told the Dublin Children's Court “this has been going on for nearly a year I want something done.”

She claimed that she appealed to social services for help last February and told them that her son needed to be placed in secure accommodation for his own safety.

“I was told these things take time, these things take time; we are here a year later and nothing has changed,” she said.

The upset woman said that she had to come to the juvenile court about 20 times last year and her son continues to cause more trouble. She said during the Christmas period he had been held at three garda stations over the period of two days.

The woman said she did not want to take him home and had told gardaí on one occasion to bring him to court instead. The teenager had been pepper-sprayed to control him due to his aggression and was then dropped to her home against her wishes, she maintained.

“He had to be pepper-sprayed because of his aggression but it was okay to drop him back to my house?”

She also told the court that when the teenager was left home “he kicked off 'till 3 o'clock Christmas morning".

“Nothing has been done in the past year,” he woman also said.

Judge Ryan heard that the teenager had been arrested on Monday over his failure to attend a hearing on a public order charge last week. He picked up a further criminal damage charge while he was in garda custody.

The judge heard that he urinated in a bottle and threw it at a cell wall in the station. He was given food and also flung it against the wall which had to be specially cleaned.

The boy had been placed on probation by the juvenile court last year for other offences.

The teenager was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear again next week. The judge also asked for the HSE to be represented at the case when it resumes.