Teenager runs from court in attempt to escape gardaí
The escape bid occurred at around 12pm yesterday, seconds after Judge Con O’Leary had imposed a 12-month sentence on the 17-year-old. He fled from the courthouse on Anglesea St, Cork, and sprinted towards the door onto the street.
Two gardaí chased after him. The teenager pushed open the front door, where several other teenagers waiting for their cases were talking and smoking.
The two pursuing gardaí caught the youth and they fell to the ground in a struggle. The guards then caught him by the arms and escorted him to the holding cell, close to Courtroom 2.
The judge had set bail as low as a €75 cash lodgment in the event of an appeal. If that money was lodged at the court or in the following days at the detention centre, the teen would have been released pending appeal. The sentence was imposed for an incident at an HSE residential facility in Cork.
The teen, who cannot be named as he is a juvenile, pleaded guilty to causing the damage. Inspector Ronan Kenneally said the incident occurred on May 28 when the youth threw a bookcase down the stairs when told by staff to tidy his room.
