A TEENAGE girl who fended for herself for two years after being abandoned by her family, then was later allegedly kidnapped by her violent stepfather and taken to England, appeared in the Dublin Children’s Court again yesterday.
The girl (15), who had been relying on emergency “out-of-hours” hostel accommodation, was not previously allocated a social worker or placed into care, the court has heard.
Last week Judge William Early had criticised the HSE saying it was “unbelievable” that a 15-year- old girl was using out-of-hours hostel accommodation. He had added that “she should have been taken into care by the HSE”.
The troubled teen had first been remanded in custody on March 25th last but received bail the following day after a judge held he did not have the power to detain her on welfare grounds.
She was due back in court on March 31st but was missing at that point. Her solicitor Catherine Ghent told the court then that it was suspected that in the intervening days, the girl had been abducted and brought to England, by her allegedly violent stepfather.
Outlining the teen’s background, Ms Ghent said: “She is 15 and was going through the out-of-hours for in and around the last two years. The HSE indicated on the last date they wanted to make inquiries to see if she had been abandoned before deciding whether to take her into care.”
In England, the girl ran away and “ended up in a police station in Manchester and is in care of UK social services”, the court heard on March 31st.
At that point, the HSE expected that the girl would be put on a flight back to Dublin and that on her arrival they would collect her at the airport to bring her to a residential care unit. Solicitor for the HSE Eoghan Wallace had informed the judge that she would be put into care on her return.
He had also said that the HSE was not aware whether the girl had been abducted or had gone to England voluntarily with her stepfather.
Yesterday the girl came to court accompanied by a HSE staff member.
Judge Ann Ryan consented to an application from prosecuting Garda Stephen Emmett to strike out one of the charges against the girl, for assaulting a garda. The remaining Public Order Act charges for failing to leave the vicinity and breach of the peace at Store Street station in central Dublin, on March 24th are to proceed.
Judge Ryan remanded the girl to appear again later this month when she is to enter a plea.