All inmates of secure unit escape following break-outs

ALL the inmates at the most costly secure unit in the State were at large for a time over the weekend following two separate break-outs.

The entire population of the Coovagh House high-security centre for troubled teens made a dash for freedom yesterday, with one youth fleeing after abducting a male care worker at knife-point and two girls taking off after assaulting and stealing the keys to their unit from a female care worker.

The centre can hold five teens at an estimated cost of €400,000 per inmate.

In the first incident, a teenage youth abducted a care worker at knife-point in Limerick and escaped.

The youth, aged 15, was apprehended two hours later near Newbridge, Co Kildare, after a high-speed chase through the midlands.

A native of Dublin, he was being held at Coovagh House in Limerick, completed at a cost of €5 million in 2000.

The centre can cater for five youths in the 11 to 17 age group.

The youth grabbed a woman care worker at about 10pm on Saturday and put a knife to her throat.

He ordered her to drive him to Dublin.

However, a male care worker who came on the scene offered to take the place of his colleague.

A Garda spokesman said: “We were alerted and we contacted stations along the N7.” Over the following two hours, gardaí tracked the movements of the car along the N7 and the Garda helicopter also took part in the operation.

At about midnight, the car was intercepted by gardaí at Ballymany, Newbridge and the youth was arrested.

The care worker, although shaken, was not harmed in the incident.

The youth has been placed in a secure juvenile detention centre in Dublin and is expected to be charged and brought to court today.

In the other incident, two girls viciously assaulted a female care worker, took the keys to their unit and fled.

They returned some hours later.

Coovagh House is run by the HSE and was built on the direction of the High Court along with another similar centre in Dublin.

Recruiting qualified staff proved a huge problem and almost €400,000 was spent before enough personnel could be found to run the centre.

It opened for a brief period in 2003 and only came into full operation six months ago.

Running costs are estimated at about €2m a year and it can cater for five troubled youths.