Stabbed boy should have been in jail

Youth who avoided jail stabbed in broad daylight


No room for 16-year-old  in detention centres

Edwin McGreal
edwinmcgreal@mayonews.ie

A Castlebar youth who should have been jailed last Friday was the victim of a stabbing attack in broad daylight in Castlebar yesterday (Monday) afternoon.
The youth’s injuries are not believed to be life threatening and were being assessed at the time of going to print. The Mayo News understands the victim, a 16-year-old male, was stabbed at least once in the hand and gardaí have arrested a young male in connection with the incident.
The incident took place in the centre of Market Square, Castlebar, at approximately 1.30pm, where a large group of people had gathered in support of a pro-life rally. The scene was preserved for a time for a technical examination and gardaí were appealing for any witnesses to contact them at Castlebar Garda Station on 094 9022222.
One witness told The Mayo News that she saw the victim being brought into accident and emergency at Mayo General Hospital with his hand ‘covered in blood’.

Victim should have been in custody
Controversially the victim should not even have been at liberty on Monday afternoon as he was due to be jailed last Friday in Ballina for breach of bail terms. He had appeared before Westport Children’s Court on April 11 last charged with the assault of a retired garda at Lough Lannagh, Castlebar on November 8 last. He pleaded guilty on that occasion.
On that date Judge Mary Devins was told that the youth was living with a friend of the family who had taken him in and the court heard he was making progress. Judge Devins observed that there was ‘a chink of light’ in the case and adjourned the matter to October to see if he could maintain the improvement in his behaviour. He had also previously appeared on another charge of assault and on public order charges and was remanded on bail, on conditions, including that he obey a curfew and refrain from drinking alcohol.
However Ballina Children’s Court was told on Friday last that the youth had breached the terms of his bail by breaking his curfew. Judge Devins was told that he had been drinking and failed to return to where he was residing on two separate nights since his last court appearance on April 11.
The court was also told that the youth was himself at risk, something borne out by events of yesterday. However Judge Mary Devins was told that the youth, who cannot be named because of his age, could not be imprisoned as there was no room in any detention centres in the country.
Judge Devins was told that there was a severe shortage of room at Obertstown and at Trinity House, the two centres of detention for youths of the accused’s age. She was also told that as the woman who had taken care of the youth was no longer in a position to do so at this point in time and as no detention place was available for the youth, he was effectively homeless. As the state has a duty to house homeless children, he was placed in HSE care.

‘Untouchable’
Castlebar-based Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said that what happened on Friday last sends out ‘a frightening message’.
“This guy probably thinks he is untouchable. Even when a judge wants to jail you, after you’ve been warned several times, you won’t be sent to jail because there’s no room for you. It raises serious questions - why should people follow the law? There is no deterrent,” he told The Mayo News.
“This young lad can do what he likes. We’re hearing there’s places in prison for people who don’t pay service charges but there’s no place for people who terrorise a community. How can that be the case?,” Cllr Kilcoyne asked.
He called on  Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, to make a statement on the situation.
“It seems the Fine Gael party, the once law and order party, is saying that there’s no place in detention for this guy. I really think it is something the Taoiseach should make a statement on. This cannot keep happening, there has to be something done about it. This guy has caused a lot of heartache and he is still on the streets because there’s no room for him,” he added.
The youth in question was one of five juveniles responsible for all youth prosecutions in Castlebar, a meeting of the Castlebar Joint-Policing Committee was told last month.

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