Mother slams HSE in son's court case

The mother of a teenage boy facing prosecution in the Children’s Court today hit out at the Health Service Executive and branded it a “joke” for not helping him.

The 16-year-old Dublin boy, who has educational difficulties and has developed drug addiction problems, is facing Public Order Act and motor theft related offences. Seventeen gardaí have prosecutions against him.

The mother told Judge Patrick McMahon that she knew her son had to take responsibility for his crimes. However, she angrily criticised the HSE for not helping when its intervention was needed.

The boy had earlier been put into a community care home where he stayed for two years until the placement broke down. During that period he was arrested repeatedly.

His mother claimed that while in the care facility he had been out “until two, three, four, and even six in the morning, off his head on drugs.”

“Everything done is too late your honour. A year and a half ago he was at risk, he would not have had these charges if he had been helped. He’s been let down too many times.”

“I’m so angry every copper in Store Street station has a charge against him. I can’t sleep at night.”

“I could go to the High Court but what is the point of constitutional rights, it’s a joke,” she said, nearly in tears.

Judge McMahon was told that a plan was being explored to place the teenager in a residential unit outside of Dublin for troubled youths with addiction problems.

However, in the meantime he would have to prove he was drug-free in the community.

The woman said she had been told the care unit her son resided in previously would provide interim support in his efforts to quit drugs so he would be suitable for the new placement. However, that support did not materialise, the court heard.

The mother said that if bailed without that assistance the teenager would not be able to stay drug-free.

She said the situation made her “ashamed to be Irish” and her son, who said in court he would be better off “locked up”, was “probably right".

She also said she had been seeking assistance for her son for four years. “It’s a joke. How can we put faith in the HSE they’re doing more damage to the children than they’re doing right,” she added.

Judge McMahon said he noted the woman’s frustrations and agreed the teenager needed to be helped and not detained in St Patrick’s Institution, where fears were expressed by the boy that he would begin to take “gear”, a reference to heroin.

He remanded the teenager in custody for a week and requested a representative of the HSE to attend the case to give proposals on what could be done to assist the boy.

Gardaí have objected to bail on the grounds that he continued to commit offences and breached a court-imposed curfew.