Accused teen's mother and sister withdraw bail sureties

A teenager charged in connection with a seizure of €1m worth of drugs in Finglas in Dublin in June has been remanded in custody pending his trial.

The teen had failed to turn up to his case at the Dublin Children’s Court last week where his mother and sister told Judge Bryan Smyth they no longer wanted to stand bail.

They had said he was “a nightmare to live with” and “thinks the world owes him something”.

The then 17-year-old, from north Dublin had been charged earlier at the Children’s Court with possessing herbal cannabis and benzylpiperazine (BZP) tablets, for sale or supply on June 25 last.

He was brought back to court today after he had been arrested on foot of a bench warrant issued last week.

The teen, who was unaccompanied, was served with the book of evidence and judge Smyth then made an order sending the case forward for trial at the next term of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Legal aid was also granted.

The teenager was remanded in custody with consent to High Court bail.

The defendant, who has since turned 18, had been initially remanded in custody, in June, to St Patrick’s Institution, but was later given bail after his mother and sister were approved as independent sureties, in sums of €10,000 and €8,000 respectively.

The money had then been frozen in their bank accounts.

However, when he failed to turn up for his case last week, they said they no longer wanted to stand bail for the teen.

The mother had said: “it’s just a nightmare trying to live with him.”

She said that she thought her son would “get more help outside than in St Patrick’s.” She also told Judge Smyth that recently her son “put his fist through a window”.

The teen’s adult sister had also told the court that she did not want to act as a bail person for her brother anymore. She said the youth was making life difficult for his mother and her other children and “thinks the worlds owes him something”.

She and her mother confirmed to the judge their intentions to withdraw their sureties.