An 11-year-old boy facing 18 charges in relation to offences committed over the last 18 months was "ruling the roost" and breaking the law after each court appearance, a juvenile liaison officer has told Dublin Children's Court.
The boy, who is at a residential care home because his mother cannot control him, was remanded by Judge Geoffrey Browne yesterday to appear in court on all of the charges, including one of hot-wiring a car.
Earlier this week, Garda Damien Murphy, a juvenile liaison officer familiar with the case history, said that the behaviour of the boy had worsened after he had been assessed in the National Remand and Assessment Centre.
Garda Murphy told the court that the boy had been charged 18 times in the last year and a half and the cases against him involved up to 12 gardaí. He said that the boy had appeared in court many times, but after each appearance he committed further offences.
"At 11 years of age, he is ruling the roost. If something is not done, then we will have lost him," the witness said.
The court was told that all charges involving the boy would be dealt with on January 27th next. An entire afternoon sitting of the court would be given over to the hearing of his cases.
Judgment on Yeats house reserved
The High Court has reserved until January 14th next its judgment on an application by two property developers for leave to challenge a refusal of planning permission for the construction of 18 apartments on lands at Riversdale House, Rathfarnham, Dublin.
The court has heard that Riversdale House is a protected structure associated with the poet W.B. Yeats.
The proceedings, by Mr Roy Begley and Mr Gerard Clarke, with an address at Glenageary, Co Dublin, are against An Bord Pleanála and South Dublin County Council.
Youth for trial over video store raid
A 17-year-old youth has been returned for trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court over a raid on a video store in which it is alleged that the manager had a knife held to his throat and customers were threatened.
The youth had been charged at Dublin Children's Court with robbery of the Movie Magic store on Dorset Street, Dublin, on April 23rd last. Earlier, the court was told that two adults, armed with a knife and a baton, and the youth had entered the store to rob it.
One of the men held a knife to the manager's neck while another man threatened a customer with a baton. Meanwhile, it is alleged, the boy jumped over the counter and took assorted DVDs.
The youth was remanded on bail until the next sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Girl convicted of damaging car
A girl from a good family which had never been trouble with the law brought disgrace on them when she broke into a car after falling in with the "wrong crowd", Dublin Children's Court was told yesterday.
The girl (16) had been arrested in the early hours of March 17th last at the west pier in Howth. Garda John Kirby said that he had seen the girl and a boy breaking into the car together. They had pulled open the passenger door to enable her to get in.
Judge Geoffrey Browne told the girl that she had brought disgrace on her family. He said he was satisfied with the garda's evidence and convicted the girl. He warned her that she could face 12 months' detention for her crime and remanded her on bail pending a probation and welfare service report on February 18th next.