A 15-YEAR-OLD girl who fended for herself for two years after being abandoned by her family, was allegedly kidnapped by her violent stepfather and taken to England after she was let out on bail at the Dublin Children’s Court last week.
The girl, who had been relying on emergency “out of hours” hostel accommodation, was not previously allocated a social worker or placed in care, the court has heard.
Judge William Early criticised the HSE yesterday, saying it was “unbelievable” that a 15-year-old was using out of hours hostel accommodation. The girl had been remanded in custody on Wednesday last but received bail the next day after a judge held that he did not have the power to detain her on welfare grounds.
The court heard steps would be taken by the social work team at Mountjoy Square to assist the girl and provide accommodation.
The girl had been arrested last week for breach of the peace and assault of an officer at Store Street Garda station, which led to her appearing before the court.
She was due to appear again yesterday, but when the case was called defence solicitor Catherine Ghent told Judge Early it was suspected that the girl had been abducted and brought to England.
Ms Ghent had been unable to contact the girl’s mother, but spoke by telephone to a man who claimed to be her stepfather. “It is my understanding he arrived at the weekend and took her to England,” she told Judge Early.
In England, over the weekend, the girl ran away and “ended up in a police station in Manchester and is in care of UK social services”. The HSE expected that the girl would be put on a flight back to Dublin last night, and they would collect her at the airport to bring her to a residential care unit.
Seven weeks ago the girl’s mother had brought her back to England, but she also ran away then because her stepfather had been violent to her.
Judge Early said he expected that “this child would be taken into care by the HSE”.
Solicitor for the HSE, Eoghan Wallace, informed the judge that this would be done once the girl returned. Judge Early remanded the girl in her absence to appear again next week.