Girl, 17, who attacked three gardaí awaits sentence

A 17-year-old girl, who developed a drink problem, started a fire in a Garda station and attacked three female officers, after she had been put on to the streets by her mentally ill mother, has been remanded on bail pending sentence.

The Children’s Court heard yesterday that during one incident she approached a man on Dublin’s Middle Abbey Street, on November 13 last, brandishing a broken snooker cue but was disarmed by another member of the public. Afterwards she told gardaí: "I only did it for a laugh, I thought it was funny."

The girl, who quit school three years ago, had pleaded guilty to 20 charges for a range of crimes committed over five months including assault, criminal damage, theft, possessing a weapon and Public Order Act offences for breach of the peace and being drunk and disorderly.

The court heard she had been arrested in south Dublin, on September 7 last, for a drink and possibly drug fuelled incident where she started screaming and yelling abuse at gardaí.

After her arrest she lashed out and attacked three female gardai with punches and bites at Dun Laoghaire garda station. One garda had her skin broken and was left with a bad bite mark on her arm, the judge was told.

In another disturbance she and a number of teens disrupted a south-side Luas tram bringing it to temporary halt by abusive and threatening behaviour to other passengers.

In an incident in February she and other youths had gone to Pearse Street Garda station to find out if any hostels had a bed available for her. While there she set fire to a notice board in the station’s public office and caused €80 worth of damages.

In other offences, the girl had been caught stealing items of clothing and in one instance a pre-packed meal, worth €4.

Defence counsel Mr Seoirse Ó Dunlaing told Judge McCarthy that the girl had a troubled past.

He said the girl, who was accompanied to court by her social worker, had been put into State care. “Her mother, who suffers from depression and has other mental issues, threw her out of her home.”

She became homeless in the middle of last year. The only accommodation she had was in emergency hostel accommodation for people on the streets.

There she developed an alcohol problem and had fallen in with a “bad crowd” she has now disassociated herself from.

He said the girl had left school at the age of 14 but in recent months had been placed into a care home and had commenced a training course.

Judge McCarthy noted that the girl had no recorded previous convictions. He said he was obliged to seek a probation report in advance of sentencing the girl, which is to take place in two weeks.