Judge bans 12-year-old girl from Dublin city centre

A Judge today banned a 12-year-old girl, who is facing 19 charges mostly for thefts, from Dublin city-centre and expressed concerns on the level of parental supervision being exercised.

“She has picked up a lot of charges for a girl her age, I am not sure proper parental control has been exercised,” Judge Bryan Smyth said at the Children’s Court, in response to an application by the defence for the girl to be released from custody.

The small girl, who is about five foot tall and originally from Romania, but now residing with her mother in west Dublin, was remanded in custody to Oberstown Girls’ Centre, last week for preliminary psychological and psychiatric assessments to be carried out.

This came after Judge Smyth heard that within hours of the girl’s previous court appearance, on December 3, she had been arrested for theft of a wallet from a bag, at Dublin’s Westmoreland Street. On the following day the girl was again arrested for attempted theft, at Moore Street, in Dublin’s city-centre.

At the time she had a bail condition barring her from the D1 and D2 areas.

The judge had also requested a copy of the girl’s passport to be brought to court and for a representative of the HSE to attend the case.

Yesterday a comprehensive report from the detention centre was furnished to the court. The girl stood up for a few seconds and peered over the judge’s bench as he was reading the report which was then handed over to her solicitor Ms Caroline Egan.

After noting the report, Ms Egan said the girl has “learned her lesson” and wanted to be allowed home to her mother, who was also in court. She said that in future the girl would obey the condition to stay out of the city centre and would go to school.

Ms Egan also added that the girl’s mother needed assistance.

Last week the mother had claimed that she was unaware her daughter had been going into the city-centre. “I send her to school and I think she is going to school,” she had said.

In relation to the girl’s passport, the mother claimed, through an interpreter, that it had been lost.

She handed in a photocopy, on crisp white paper, of the girl’s passport, which she said was mislaid about a month ago but had not been reported to the gardai as lost.

After expressing concerns over parental supervision, Judge Smyth agreed to grant bail to the girl and re-instated strict bail conditions banning the girl from the D1 and D2 areas, as well as compelling her to go to school and to obey a curfew at her home, from 9pm to 8am.

Garda Fiona Devvy, one of the prosecuting gardaí said “there is no parental control over her.” “She was in the city-centre every day during school hours. She understands her bail conditions but has been in both the D1 and D2 areas.”

Solicitor Mr James Bardon, for the HSE, said it would provide a report on next date.

The girl, who was wearing jeans, a hooded top, runners and a leather jacket wrapped around her waist, spoke briefly during her case. She sighed “yeah” indicating that she understood the judge’s caution that she would be put back into custody if she broke the bail conditions.

Speaking in a high tone, she also said “I’m looking for my money back,” in relation to a sum confiscated from her by gardai investigating one of the theft allegations.

Judge Smyth said that in light of her young age special directions from the DPP would have to be obtained as to whether or not the prosecution is to proceed. The court released the girl to appear again in February.

The young girl faces a total of 19 charges, six of which are not turning up to her court cases. The remaining charges related to thefts, attempted thefts and handling of stolen goods in Dublin city-centre between March and December 4 last.

Her charges:

December 4: attempted theft, at Moore Street.

December 3: theft at Westmoreland Street.

November 24, theft at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.

November 13, at Dunnes Stores, in the Ilac Shopping centre, theft of three packets of coffee and cosmetics worth €29.

November 12, at Next, in the Jervis Street shopping centre, theft of clothing worth €93.

November 11, theft of clothing worth €116.

October 21, attempted theft at Dublin’s Haypenny Bridge.

November 13, October 1, October 13, September 18, September 2, June 5, failed to attend her court cases.

October 10, theft of clothes worth €42 from Dunnes Stores at Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

September 12, attempted theft at Westmoreland Street.

July 29, theft of clothing worth €262, from Arnotts on Henry Street.

April 25, attempted theft at O’Connell Street Lower.

March 27, possession of a stolen camera, and attempted theft at Westmoreland Street.