‘Phone snatch’ teen kept in custody

A 14-year-old boy, who allegedly injured a woman during a phone snatch in Dublin, has been refused bail.

The teenager appeared at the Dublin Children’s Court yesterday following his arrest on Wednesday for robbing a woman at Vincent Street West.

Detective Garda Laura O’Brien objected to bail being granted to the boy, who was accompanied to court by his mother. Det Garda O’Brien said the robbery is alleged to have happened at about 1.40pm when the woman was on her mobile phone.

It was alleged the teenager passed her and “forcibly grabbed it out of her hand” resulting in the woman suffering bruising and swelling around one of her eyes.

The woman was “left shaken and was in fear”. A witness reported the incident to gardaí who found the teenager hiding in the grounds of a school and allegedly still in possession of the stolen phone.

The garda agreed with defence solicitor Kelly Breen that she was satisfied that she knew where the teen lived and directions from the DPP need to be obtained.

However, the court also heard that gardaí have often found the teenager out in the middle of the night and they frequently dropped him home. “I am aware his mother has issues controlling him,” Det Garda O’Brien told the court.

The teen’s mother pleaded for bail to be granted. She’s trying to get him back to school and has managed to get him involved in a youth centre “to keep him off the streets”.

Judge Lindsay denied bail to the teenager, who has not yet entered a plea, and remanded him in custody.