€25,000 detention-centre damage case referred on from Children's Court

The case of a youth accused of taking part in a rooftop protest, which caused €25,000 worth of damage at one of the State's most secure juvenile detention centres, is too serious to be dealt with in the Children's Court, a judge has held.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was charged at the Children's Court with criminal damage to the roof and a recreational room, at the Trinity House detention centre, in Lusk, in north Co Dublin, on October 25, 2008.

Trinity House holds detainees aged between 12 and 16 years and aims to provide care, education and support in secure settings for troublesome juveniles who have committed crimes.

Judge Clare Leonard today heard that on October 25, 2008, trouble broke out when another teenager was being reprimanded and was “timed-out” meaning he was to be segregated from other youths in the centre.

In an outline of the allegations, Garda Sergeant Enda Grogan said "three youths began to protest at this and went into a recreation room and caused damage".

He said the three, including the accused, climbed onto the roof of the centre where they began "ripping off tiles and timber trusses, they threw them at staff and gardaí that arrived".

He told the court that about €25,000 worth of damage was caused during the incident.

Defence solicitor John Quinn made submissions under Section 75 of the Children Act pleading to have the case kept in the juvenile court and not sent forward to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

He also said jurisdiction was accepted by the Children's Court in the cases of two other boys charged over the incident.

He also asked the court to note that age of the Dublin boy, who was accompanied to his case by his mother.

However, Judge Leonard refused jurisdiction. The teen, who is in custody, was remanded to appear again on a later date, when he is to be served with a book of evidence and returned for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.