Judge urges closure of HSE teen residential unit
Judge Con O’Leary has expressed reservations about Pathways on Ballyhooley Rd, Cork, before and has called senior managers of the HSE to Cork District Court in relation to his concerns in the past. Yesterday the judge went further.
“It should be closed down. It is unfair to staff trying to manage the place, unfair to people living there and unfair to the community. As far as I am concerned, it is only a matter of time before one of the residents or one of the staff is seriously injured.”
The judge made his comments when sentencing one teenager for obstructing gardaí who were trying to get into the residential unit to deal with another teenager who was letting off a fire extinguisher and spraying foam all over the inside of the building.
Judge O’Leary said he had the greatest sympathy for the staff working there: “Staff are being asked to do a difficult, almost impossible job. In its present constitution it should be closed.”
The judge said if it was not closed down then the system of managing the unit would have to be changed in order to make it safe.
Judge O’Leary was dealing with a case against Alex McSweeney, 18. McSweeney was given a three-month suspended sentence for his threatening and obstructive behaviour to gardaí who were trying to get into Pathways to deal with another teenager with fire extinguisher on Jul 24. McSweeney was resident at the time.
McSweeney was given a concurrent three-month suspended sentence for another incident where Insp Mary King said he was drunk and threatening to people in the Japanese gardens in Ballinlough, Cork.
HSE South said since the centre opened in 2001, no staff member had been assaulted. A HSE spokesman said while safety at Pathways “is of paramount importance and the HSE are open to a full review of the service taking into account the view of all stakeholders” there are no plans to close the facility.
