State of neglect: Failing the most vulnerable

Daniel McAnaspie’s short life and violent death reflect badly on any notion that State and society have left behind the appalling treatment of children who find themselves beyond the sanctuary of a family home, writes Michael Clifford.

The case got a brief mention in the Children’s Court in Dublin. Garda Seamus Twomey made an application for the charges against Daniel McAnaspie to be withdrawn.

The 17-year-old had been up for stealing a TV from a residential home he’d been staying in. It was a first offence. He had been out on bail, due to appear that day to answer the charge on the day in question, Monday, June 14, 2010.