Youth held for two nights at Garda station as no place is found at centre

A 15-year-old youth had to spend two nights in a Dublin city-centre Garda station because there was no room for him at the Trinity House detention centre in Co Dublin. He had been remanded to Trinity House on Saturday. At one stage during the search for suitable accommodation for the boy, a district justice remanded him in custody to Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park.

The youth, from Dublin's inner city, was arrested on Saturday on a warrant in connection with road traffic charges and with failing to attend at court. He appeared before Judge James Paul McDonnell at Bridewell Court 44 and was remanded in custody to appear in court again on Friday. He was released on bail yesterday.

As there was no room for him at Trinity House, he was held at Fitzgibbon Street Garda station on Saturday night and again on Sunday night when inquiries indicated there was still no room for him at the Trinity House centre.

On Monday Fitzgibbon Street gardai brought the youth before Judge McDonnell again. He was in Tallaght conducting District Court hearings. At an in camera hearing, Judge McDonnell ordered that the defendant be remanded to Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park, where he believed there would be space for him. He also set bail for the youth at £450.

However, there was no room for the defendant at Garda headquarters. The youth was then brought from there to the Bridewell Garda station in Dublin's city centre. There was no room for him there either. He was then brought to Fitzgibbon Street station once more. There £150 bail was raised and he was released.

Under the new bail laws, a third of the bail fixed must be paid in cash and a bond is signed for the remainder.

The youth's solicitor, Mr Terence Lyons, said last night his firm was initiating High Court proceedings against the State requiring it to provide a safe place of detention for their client.

He said the case was "another example of the State's inability to provide proper places of detention for young offenders." The Constitution provided for "our duty of care in relation to our children". Judge McDonnell "has for years been highlighting this very pressing problem but the Government does not appear to be taking the court's views seriously on the issue. This case in particular highlights the failure to answer Judge McDonnell's demands."

From his extensive work on the Children's Court, the judge "was very close to the problem of young offenders and has been vocal in demanding that the Government and institutions of State provide safe places of detention for young offenders."