This article is from page 18 of the 2011-07-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
A TEENAGE boy falsely imprisoned his mother and sister and assaulted his mother in their own home, a court has heard.
Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan told Ennis Circuit Court yesterday that gardaí were called to the accused’s home in Ennis at 10.30pm on July 29, 2009.
He said that the boy – who was then aged 15 – was being restrained by his mother in a bedroom of the house. Five knives were removed from the scene, which, he said the accused had discarded during the incident.
“The accused came into the bedroom of his mother while she and her daughter were getting ready for bed. He produced five knives and threatened to kill his mother and subjected his sister to urinate into a rubbish bin,” said Mr Coughlan.
Arising out of the incident, the boy’s mother sustained a laceration to her finger and received treatment in hospital.
He said that earlier that day, the mother had disapproved of her son visiting patients in the acute unit of a hospital and had also refused to al- low him to use the internet.
“He admitted threatening to kill his mother and intimidating his mother and sister and causing his sister to urinate in a rubbish bin and cutting his mother’s hand with a knife,” said Mr Coughlan.
He told the court that the boy did not have contact with his father for some years and had a “good relationship with his mother”.
The court heard that the boy’s mother and sister did not wish to give evidence.
Defence Counsel Pat Whyms said that the boy has since undertaken an intensive programme which included counselling. The facilitator of the programme he has engaged in told the court that the accused was admitted towards the end of 2009. “He would have presented quite a fragile young man, quite distressed in himself, quite guarded,” she said.
She said he has fully co-operated with the programme and contact has been rebuilt between the boy and his mother.
Judge Carroll Moran ordered that the boy committed to keeping the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of three years.