Troubled 14-year-old may be sent to care centre in Sweden

THE Health Service Executive is considering sending a troubled 14-year-old boy, who set fire to a room with children in it, to a therapeutic care centre in Sweden, the Dublin Children’s Court heard yesterday.

The teenager, who is facing charges for assault and a breach of the peace, is being held in custody on remand in detention centre for young criminals because there is presently no suitable care home environment in which he could be placed.

His mother cannot manage him due to his problems and there were also fears for his safety in the community if he was released, the court had also heard.

Judge Ní Chonduin said that she did not want to keep the teenager in custody but re-iterated that she remanding him further to Oberstown Boys’ Centre for a week for welfare reasons and for his own safety as suitable accommodation for the teenager was not available.

Defence solicitor Ms Catherine Ghent submitted that it was wrong to deny bail to the teenager and added that the HSE had been aware since mid September that a bail application would be made and that teenager needed accommodation.

Counsel for the HSE Barry O’Donnell BL, said that there has been considerable social service involvement in the teenager’s life and his case presented difficulties in terms of providing suitable accommodation.

He said that efforts are underway to find an appropriate placement for the teenager overseas, in particular in a unit in Sweden.

The court was told it could still take weeks to establish whether a move to this placement would be possible.

If bailed, the teenager would have to rely on hostel accommodation, the court was told.

Mr O’Donnell said that given the history of the case the HSE might not presently be able to keep him safe in the community if bail was granted.

The court had heard previously that the boy had set fire to a room with children in it and has been in numerous care facilities since he was aged six.

At the age of nine the health board placed him in a care home in England from which he later absconded, when he was 10-years-old, and ended up on the streets of London, drinking with vagrants.

His mother then brought him back to Ireland where he was put into another care home.

He has also suffered a mental breakdown and been placed on numerous anti-psychotic and depressant medications.

There are also fears for his safety because he had been previously threatened by armed men claiming to be members of the Continuity IRA.

Earlier the court had heard that four men entered the boy’s Dublin home wearing balaclavas and armed with guns and baseball bats.

Guns were pointed at his mother and young sisters and he was threatened by the men.

The teenager has been held in Oberstown Boys’ Centre since July pending efforts to have the HSE source a suitable residential and therapeutic care placement for him.

The case was adjourned for a week.