Child in assault of garda ‘unsafe in care’

A CHILD assaulted a garda after she had earlier presented herself at the Garda station because she said she did not feel safe in residential care, the High Court has been told.

A senior counsel for the Guardian Ad Litem in the Minors List case told the court that shortly after the girl had contacted Gardaí there was an incident and a garda was assaulted.

In another case a teenager staying in a detention facility in Britain due to return here in the near future has not been visited by the HSE. Senior counsel in the case said the HSE had been asked three times regarding a community social worker for the girl, adding: “We have a young girl being detained against her will outside of this jurisdiction who is not even being visited.”

Mr Justice George Birmingham said the case would be in for mention on June 3 and that a plan needed to be in place for the girl’s possible return to Ireland on June 7.

In another case, fears were expressed for the safety of a 17-year-old at a midlands care facility who is alleged to be socialising with people recently involved in shooting incidents.

The parents of the girl said they were in favour of a possible placement in a facility in America. But after initially claiming she would be happy to move there, the girl had since decided she wanted to stay in Ireland.

The court heard that last week the girl went out for seven hours with another girl staying at the midlands facility, and then went to a Garda station asking for a lift home. The court was also told she was engaging in drink and drugs.

A solicitor appointed to the case said that everyone involved needed to take a step back so as to consider the best way to help the girl as she felt under pressure, while Judge Birmingham said that while people may not agree with the girl’s behaviour, “she is all but an adult”.

“It is unthinkable that a 17-year-old could be exiled against their wishes,” he said. The case will be mentioned in the coming weeks.