A 15-YEAR-OLD pregnant girl from the Romanian gypsy community has been taken into care in Dublin after it was learned that her family apparently tried to sell her to another gypsy family, writes Jim Cusack.The case came to the attention of gardai in south-west Dublin after the report of a serious dispute between two gypsy families. It was learned that the row followed claims that one family had reneged on an agreement to sell the girl.
Gardai and Eastern Health Board staff were unable to ascertain the father of the child and what the two families' intentions were in regard to her welfare. The girl is under age and, if she has been impregnated by an adult, the criminal offence of statutory rape will have to be investigated.
According to sources, the girl and both families have given conflicting accounts of events. It is believed, however, that some form of financial transaction regarding the girl was under way. When this was established, she was taken into care.