A TEENAGE girl, who went missing from HSE care more than 30 times, has been spared a custodial sentence for criminal damage and shoplifting offences.
The teenager (17) had been remanded in custody last week by the Dublin Children’s Court where she pleaded guilty to criminal damage to a door at a residential children’s care home in north Dublin, on May 30th last year and to a shoplifting offence last month.
She had repeatedly gone missing from a care home, the court was told, and was last week found after a Garda helicopter took up pursuit of a speeding car.
Garda Ger Kildea said: “There was a traffic pursuit in the Tallaght Clondalkin areas, Garda cars were following it and the Garda helicopter was deployed.” Her brother “was observed driving the car erratically at speed,” Garda Kildea added. The girl, who was a passenger, gave a false name and “it took quite a period of time to ascertain who she was”.
After a week in custody on remand, the case resumed. Her solicitor Gareth Noble said the girl’s case was primarily related to welfare issues. He told Judge Clare Leonard that separate proceedings were taking place in the childcare courts in relation to her welfare.
He finalised the case by binding the girl, who was accompanied to her case by a care worker, to the peace for six months.
Earlier she had been ordered to obey a 10pm to 9am curfew at her care home. She absconded from HSE care 35 times, in August and September last year, and returned occasionally “to eat and change clothes”.