The High Court was told yesterday that a Dublin youth had been imprisoned for offences committed by someone else. His solicitor, Ms Caroline Butler, was told by the youth's father that this was not the first time the 16-year-old had had to come to court to clear his name.
Mr Justice McKechnie granted an order requiring the governor of Shanganagh Prison to produce the youth before the court this morning and certify the grounds of his detention.
Mr Vincent Heneghan, for the defendant, read an affidavit by Ms Butler, who said the youth had told her he had been lodged in Mountjoy Jail on April 4th on foot of two committal warrants for non-payment of fines. He was named in the warrants, but although the name of the road on which he was living was correct, the house number was wrong.
The warrants claimed he had been convicted of driving without insurance or a driving licence on June 26th, 2000, and he was ordered to pay fines of £500 and £100. The warrants commanded that the accused be lodged in Mountjoy Prison unless the fines were paid.
Ms Butler said her client claimed he had never been convicted of any offence. He did not respond to the warrants because he knew he was not the person referred to in them, they were not addressed to his home, and there was a different date of birth.
The youth's father claimed his son's name had been given by other persons in the past and that father and son had had to attend the District Court to clear his name.
Mr Heneghan said he was instructed the youth was completely innocent of any offence and had never been in custody before. He said officials in Shanganagh had expressed concern about the matter.