Call to close youth prison

THE chairman of Limerick’s joint policing committee yesterday called for a high-security youth facility, from which three inmates escaped at the weekend, to be closed.

Councillor Kevin Kiely said Coovagh House was a waste of taxpayers’ money as those being held there were not in secure detention.

He was speaking after a 15-year-old boy held a care worker at knife-point and escaped from the facility. Earlier, two girls escaped after viciously attacking a woman care worker.

Mr Kiely said: “It is a disgrace this place is being kept open. It was wrecked three years ago and it had to be closed down. All three teenagers being held there last Saturday managed to break out by attacking staff.

“It must be closed before somebody breaks out and attacks a member of the public. These young troublemakers should be put into St Patrick’s Institution where they can’t get out and where there are plenty of training programmes to keep them occupied.”

Gardaí in Limerick are also concerned at the manner in which the centre is being run.

One source said: “We have found out that this 15-year-old was given access to cigarettes. A few weeks ago he managed to escape when he was brought by staff at the centre to Dublin Juvenile Court and was on the streets for three weeks before he was caught.”

The youth was remanded in custody yesterday when he appeared at Limerick District Court.

He is charged with false imprisonment of the care worker and assault.

He will appear in Limerick District Court today.

The youth forced the care worker at knife-point to drive him to Dublin on Saturday night, but he was intercepted by gardaí near Newbridge, Co Kildare.

Coovagh House was built in the grounds of St Joseph’s Hospital in 2000 at a cost of €5 million.

It has 40 staff and can accommodate five troubled young people in the 11 to 17 age group.

It costs an estimated €2m a year to run — €400,000 per inmate.

The two girls broke out earlier on Saturday when they attacked a woman staff member and took keys.

It transpired they spent the afternoon at a cinema before returning to Coovagh House.

Coovagh House is managed by the Health Service Executive.