This article is from page 13 of the 2008-02-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
THE behaviour of a 16-year-old boy has deteriorated since leaving a de- tention centre due to lack of parental control at his Ennis home.
The boy, who has 33 previous convictions, was sentenced to two years at Oberstown Boys Centre in November 2006. He is currently on extended leave from the centre.
He admitted breaking into the bed and breakfast at Baron McQ’s, Low- er Parnell Street, Ennis, and kicking two wing mirrors on cars, close to his home, last Wednesday, February oF
Inspector Tom Kennedy said gardai found the boy on the premises on Parnell Street and CCTV footage
showed him breaking the window and going into the building.
He later went home with his mother and a short time later went down the street in his locality and kicked mir- rors on two cars.
The boy’s solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said since he was released home from Oberstown he had “very quick- ly deteriorated”.
‘His mother is not here today and that speaks volumes,” she said.
She pointed out that drink and drugs played a role in last week’s in- cidents.
‘He didn’t have control. When he’s not in Oberstown, or St Patrick’s In- stitution he doesn’t have the where- withal to look after himself,’ she PAG
“The concern from my point of view is that he could become insti- tutionalised and that he would be in- capable of coping outside an institu- tion,” she said.
“He’s a good boy under the right conditions,” added Ms Godfrey.
A member of staff at Oberstown told the court that the boy had “turned a corner’ while at the centre, but had “deteriorated” since returning home to Ennis. She said Oberstown could not take him back.
“We are under pressure from the courts to free up the bed. There’s de- mand for his bed. We want to release his bed within days,” she said.
“I think we have exhausted what we can do with him. We have effec- tively handed him back to his family.
There is only so much minding of him we can do when he is back in his own environment,’ she added.
An employee with Clare Youth Services – who has worked with the boy since his release from Obers- town – said the problem was down to lack of supervision at home.
“That is with due respect to the young man and the family,” he said.
Judge Joseph Mangan asked the boy, “Why are you so angry?”’. He replied “I am not angry at all.”
The judge said he had observed the boy’s demeanour in court and said, “You are obviously very bothered.”
The judge sentenced him to eight months in St Patrick’s Institution and fixed a bond in the event of an ap- peal.