THE TEENAGE sister of a 16-year-old boy charged with the murder of Dubliner Aidan O'Kane, who was shot dead near his home on September 7th, is to stand bail for him, the Children's Court heard yesterday.
Mr O'Kane (50), a widower and father of one, died following a row with teenagers near his home at Shelmalier Road, in East Wall, Dublin.
The mechanic was fatally wounded in the stomach when he was shot in a laneway between Shelmalier Road and Bargy Road, not far from his house.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, was charged three days later at the Children's Court in Smithfield.
On the teen's first court appearance last week, Det Sgt Martin Connolly had said he arrested him at 2.25pm on Wednesday, September 10th, at Store Street Garda station for the "offence of murder contrary to common law".
The north inner city Dublin teenager was then remanded in custody to St Patrick's Institution, part of the Mountjoy Prison complex, until yesterday.
He was brought back to the Children's Court yesterday morning.
Judge Bryan Smyth noted that conditional High Court bail, set earlier this week, had stipulated "the surety in the amount of €2,000 of which the full amount is to be lodged in cash".
The boy remained silent and looked intermittently at his middle-aged parents as his solicitor, Sarah Molloy, said that his sister, an adult in her late teens, was being proposed to act as the bailperson.
The young woman then sat in the witness box and responded to questions from her brother's solicitor and the judge.
She confirmed she was in full-time employment and had brought a bank statement to court showing she had about €4,000 in her account.
Older bank statements were also provided indicating that she was in receipt of a regular income.
The young woman said she was not standing bail for anyone else.
She replied "yes" when asked by Ms Molloy if she understood she would lose the money if her brother breached his bail conditions or failed to appear in court on the next date.
Judge Smyth asked her if she had any previous convictions to which she answered "no".
The judge said he was approving the defendant's sister to act as the independent surety.
Ms Molloy told the judge that the bail conditions, which were not outlined in court yesterday, had been fully explained to the teenager, who remained seated with his hands on his lap.
"Yes they were gone through," she said.
Det Sgt Connolly said he was not objecting to the boy's sister acting as an independent surety and added that he was seeking a four-week remand.
Ms Molloy informed the judge that the €2,000 surety money had yet to be withdrawn from the woman's account.
Judge Smyth further remanded the boy for four weeks in custody to St Patrick's Institution with consent to bail, which can be taken up when the cash surety has been lodged.