Children's Court grants bail to sex assault accused

A youth facing a sexual assault allegation was granted conditional bail at the Dublin Children's Court today.

The 17-year-old boy had been remanded in custody last Friday after he was charged with sexual assault of a girl at a house in west Dublin, on a date in November last year.

Today, defence solicitor Gareth Noble told Judge Elizabeth MacGrath that his client was asking to be released on conditional bail. He said that when the boy was charged last week, there had been an issue of him not having an address where he could reside.

He said the boy's parents had separated and he had been living with his father, who was not present for the case.

The teen began “moving from address to address”, stayed with friends and sometimes his mother or an older sister, who were present for the case.

The court heard that the alleged incident happened at a house where the boy had been allowed to live temporarily.

He had also been using hostel accommodation which led to social services becoming involved in him.

The defence proposed that the teenager could reside with his older sister pending efforts by the HSE to provide him with long-term accommodation.

The prosecuting Garda stipulated that there was a need for the teenager to have a permanent address as he had been difficult to locate after the DPP had decided that charges should be pressed. He had also left the jurisdiction for a short while, the court heard.

The teen's older sister told the court that she understood the nature of charges he faced and that he could reside with her until the HSE provided an alternative address for her brother.

Judge MacGrath granted bail with a conditions that he must obey a 10pm to 8am curfew, not have any contact with the complainant or her family, not use any illegal drugs and sign on daily at a west Dublin garda station.

A plea has not yet been entered by the teenager who was remanded to appear again on a date in January.

The judge also directed the HSE to hold a family welfare conference in relation to the boy.

He was also told that gardaí were entitled to check whether he is obeying his curfew and that if he broke the bail conditions he would be remanded in custody again.