Incident the ‘most serious’ at Oberstown for 20 years

An incident at Oberstown children’s detention centre last August, in which a number of young people got on to the roof, involved “significant” damage to a building and was the “most serious” at the unit in Lusk for some 20 years, the High Court has heard.

Four young males are suing the State, claiming that their human rights were breached arising from their treatment following that incident.

In documents before the court, the director of Oberstown pleaded that the incident on the night of August 29/30 was the most serious at the centre since 1998, created significant fear among staff, and was followed by industrial action.

The four youths were not detained in solitary confinement “or anything like it” and there was no breach of their rights or their human dignity, it was pleaded. Water was turned off to avoid potential flooding of rooms and flammable materials were removed, it was stated.

In further arguments yesterday, Patrick Gageby, for two of the youths, said international agency and expert reports show clear dislike of solitary confinement, particularly for children.

If this treatment could not be done as punishment, it was hard to see how it could be justified as behavioural management and Oberstown could not “immunise” itself by calling it that, he argued.

The case continues.