A 15-year-old girl was yesterday remanded in custody at her own request after she told a judge that she wanted to escape her deteriorating family life.
Judge Catherine Murphy heard at the Dublin Children's Court that the girl, from the south inner-city, had been earlier released on bail with conditions compelling her to live at her family home and to obey a nightly curfew.
However, she had been brought back before the court for breaking these conditions; the girl had left home and had been living in hostels where she was associating with people who use drugs, Judge Murphy heard.
Instead of asking to be released on bail again she pleaded to be held in custody and told Judge Murphy that she wanted to "get her head together", as she had started taking drugs and needed to get away from her family life.
The domestic situation in her home had gone "downhill" and the girl did not want to go back there. She was also afraid that she would start taking drugs with the help of the people she had met in the hostels.
Judge Murphy said that in light of the girl's circumstances, her request was a "very sensible suggestion" and commended her for how she took matters into her own hands in dealing with her situation.
The girl was remanded in custody to Oberstown Girls' Centre, where she will be assessed by care workers, until October 13th.