The Children's Court: The 18-year-old had so many previous convictions that the garda had to flick through several pages to count them all. Carl O'Brien reports.
"He has 49 previous," the garda from Clondalkin said, finally. "They're mostly road traffic offences."
The young man, who sat quietly with his arms folded, stared into the middle distance.
The latest charges he picked up included stealing a car, driving without insurance and providing a false name to gardaí.
The same pattern of offences filled up page after page, printed out from the Garda's PULSE computer system.
"Clearly his record is not good," his solicitor said, pleading for mitigation. "He is someone who has had a difficult past, his mother has tried to bring up six children as a lone parent after their father died."
The children's father had a drug problem and travelled to England where he sought treatment, the court was told. The family followed him over, but he died from an overdose.
"You're not working now?" Judge Angela Ní Chondúin said.
"No," the young man said, his hands now in his pockets. His solicitor interjected to point out that he planned to return to a FÁS placement.
"I'll put this back for a probation report," Judge Ní Chondúin said. "Are you willing to engage with the probation service?"
"Yeah," he said.
Judge Ní Chondúin said sternly she had a six-month prison sentence in mind, but would reconsider the situation in the light of a positive probation report.
The 18-year-old shuffled out of the court, smiling thinly as he walked past gardaí who stood by the exit.
Earlier in the day, another young man with a long list of previous convictions also came before the court looking to be given another chance.
The lanky 17-year-old in a grey tracksuit was pleading guilty to charges, mostly relating to theft.
A garda from Shankill told the judge how the young man had waited in a laneway and demanded money from a passer-by.
"He followed him for a while and then asked him for money. When he didn't give it, the defendant said, 'I'll count to five and then I'll hit you.'" As the garda spoke, the 17-year-old leaned down on the wooden bench in front of him, resting his head on his arms.
Another garda told how the boy had been found on the premises of a vacant house last June, while another detective said the youngster had been found in a stolen car earlier this month.
Judge Ní Chondúin asked for a list of previous convictions. There were 21 in total.
The garda read them all out, including road traffic, criminal damage and theft offences.
The boy's solicitor, pleading for mitigation, said the boy's parents were separated and he had been in custody since earlier this month. He had hoped to co-operate with the probation service rather than face a custodial sentence, the solicitor added.
"How serious are you?" asked Judge Ní Chondúin.
"I'll do whatever I have to do," the boy answered, rubbing his tired eyes.
"You don't look it," she said.
"I'll sign on every day," he said, this time more urgently.
The judge said she would give him "one last chance" and released him on bail with strict conditions, pending a report from the probation service.
"He's getting this chance from me. If he breaks bail conditions, he's back into custody," she said. "Do you expect to keep them?" the judge asked.
"Yeah," he answered, rubbing his eyes again as he spoke.
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