Suspended sentence for teen arrested for stealing sandwich

A homeless boy - who was recently arrested for stealing a sandwich - left home when he was 13 to escape his mother’s violent partner, then ended up on the streets where he started taking heroin, a court heard today.

The boy, now aged 16 years, had been arrested for a number of theft offences over recent months, Judge Mary Collins heard at the Dublin Children’s Court.

On June 12, he had been arrested for stealing a sandwich from a shop on Dublin’s Westmoreland Street; on June 3 he had been involved in a mobile phone snatch and on April 27 last he had attempted to steal man’s rucksack.

Defence solicitor Sarah Molloy told Judge Collins that she first met the boy when he was aged 13.

By that stage he had been driven from home as a result of his mother’s violent partner.

The man had been violent to the teenager’s mother and when the boy tried to protect her he too became victimised.

He then fled to the streets where he became addicted to heroin, she said.

Ms Molloy said the boy was then put in a detention centre on foot of a High Court order. When he was released he was put into a care home but had to leave because he had started to abuse heroin again.

The staff in the home feared that his drug use could adversely influence other young people living there.

He then started to live in a hostel where on one occasion he nearly overdosed but was saved by one of the staff members who had discovered him as he had "gone blue".

He also had nothing to do during the daytimes, which led to a state of boredom, Ms Molloy told Judge Collins in mitigation.

The boy’s social worker has made tireless efforts to help him, Ms Molloy said.

The social worker has now arranged for him to be provided meals daily and has organised a place on a heroin addiction treatment programme for him.

The social worker is also trying to find him a placement in a day centre for troubled children.

Ms Molloy said once the boy starts to provide clean urine samples, to show that he has stopped taking heroin, it would then be possible for him to return to the care home.

The boy spoke briefly at the hearing, quietly telling Judge Collins: "I’ll do it, I’ll try my best."

Judge Collins imposed a suspended sentence and ordered that the case be brought back to court every three weeks so the boy’s progress and efforts to quit heroin can be monitored.