Judge orders arrest of youth over Jobstown protest

A judge has ordered the arrest of a youth facing trial over the Jobstown anti water charges protest last year during which Tánaiste Joan Burton was allegedly trapped in her car.

The Labour leader and her team had left a graduation just after midday on November 15th, 2014, at An Cosan at Jobstown, in Tallaght, an education facility that serves the community, when a demonstration was held which delayed her for about two hours.

Ms Burton and her team had been attempting to travel by car to St Thomas’s Church, a short distance away, for the rest of the ceremony.

The youth, 18-year-old, Calvin Carlyle, from Gleann na hEorna, Tallaght, who was a juvenile at the time, but now an adult, is charged with violent disorder and criminal damage to a garda car in connection with the incident.

He could not attend when the case was first listed before Dublin Children’s Court on October 29th , along with six other teenagers. His mother had come to the court and had then told the judge her son was unwell and suffering from a “stomach bug”.

Judge John O’Connor refrained from ordering his arrest and granted an adjournment in his absence.

The case resumed at the Children’s Court on Thursday but the teenager did not turn up. His mother had come to court but had to leave before the case was called because she needed to get to work.

Judge O'Connor acceded to a request from Det Gda Paul Smith to an issue a bench warrant for youth's arrest.

The DPP has directed that unlike the juveniles he should be tried in the circuit court.

Six other youths aged from 14 to 17 face a variety of charges in the juvenile court including criminal damage and violent disorder. One of them faces two counts of false imprisonment of Tánaiste Joan Bruton and her political advisor Karen O’Connell who were in a ministerial car which was surrounded by protesters.

They are due back in court later this month and November.

On Monday, Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy faced Dublin District Court charged with false imprisonment of Joan Burton and her advisor. Seventeen other adults were also charged with a variety of offences: false imprisonment, criminal damage and violent disorder in connection with the alleged incident.

The DPP has directed they should face trial on indictment in the circuit court.

The TD and his co-defendants have been ordered to appear again at the district court next month when it is expected they will be served with books of evidence and returned for trial.