A troubled boy who had been missing from health board care for more than a month was located by gardaí within hours of a High Court judge saying he could be found if gardaí put in "sufficient effort", it emerged yesterday.
Last week, after being told the 14-year-old had been missing for more than four weeks and that his social workers and lawyers had been in regular touch with the gardaí expressing their concerns, Mr Justice De Valera said it seemed a discrete area of Dublin was involved and he expected gardaí to find the child within a week.
The judge was told yesterday by Ms Gráinne Mullan, for the boy, that he had been found within 24 hours of the judge's order on October 14th.
He was now back in a secure unit and would remain there for the next two weeks when it was proposed to move him.
There was some concern about his ability to remain in the insecure unit but he had said he would commit to that unit, Ms Mullan added. The boy has no family supports and has a history of substance abuse.
On consent of Mr Barry O'Donnell for the South Western Area Health Board and Ms Mullan, Mr Justice Kearns continued the detention order for two weeks.
