Mother: ‘Lock up my little gangster’

A mother begged for her son to be locked up, telling a judge yesterday that the 14-year-old is turning into a "little gangster".

Her son is facing a litany of charges including assault causing harm to a security guard, shoplifting thefts and public order offences, but would not get out of bed to come to his hearing, at the Dublin Children’s Court.

However, his mother turned up and explained to Judge John O’Connor that her family all agree that her son should be sent to a detention centre.