No probation officer for youth held in custody for 232 days

A 17-year-old who has been in custody for 232 days has still not had a probation officer assigned to him, the Children’s Court in Killarney was told yesterday.

The situation was described as “crazy” by a senior garda, who said they had great concerns about who would oversee him on his release. The gardaí were not social workers, the court heard.

The teenager, who has 44 matters before the court, including systematic burglaries and car thefts, has been in St Patrick’s Institution in Dublin since Sept 4, and has appeared in custody a number of times before the court.