A judge’s order for a girl to be psychologically assessed after she was charged in connection with the fatal assault of Scarlett Faulkner has yet to be carried out seven weeks after the order was made, a court has heard.
The 16-year-old accused is charged with assault causing serious harm to Faulkner (29) at the R494 road, Birdhill, Co Tipperary, on March 21st.
At Nenagh District Court on Friday, Judge Marie Keane said she had made an order on April 1st that a psychological assessment be carried out in respect of the accused girl.
The accused girl appeared before the court via video-link, accompanied by staff at a youth-detention centre.
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Sgt Adrian Whelan, of Nenagh Garda station, said a Garda investigation file in respect of the girl’s alleged involvement in an assault on Faulkner had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
An application by the sergeant for a four-week adjournment, consented to by the girl’s solicitor, John Herbert, was granted by the judge.
Herbert told the judge a psychological evaluation of the accused girl was “still awaited”. He assured her he was making inquiries through a number of psychologists to arrange one.
“I’ve been in contact with two psychologists and I will be speaking to a third,” the solicitor told the court.
Keane replied that, in her view, it has “always” been “exceptionally slow” to arrange and process psychological assessment reports for the courts.
The accused girl spoke only to confirm her name and that she could hear and see the proceedings.
A co-accused woman also appeared before the court on Friday. The 40-year-old, who is charged with violent disorder, endangerment and burglary, appeared via video-link from a remand prison.
The judge granted an application by Whelan, consented to by the woman’s solicitor, Pauric Nesbitt, for a four-week adjournment.
She remanded the two accused in continuing custody to appear before Nenagh District Court again on June 12th for directions from the DPP.
Neither accused can be named because of reporting restrictions imposed by Limerick District Court where the two accused were initially charged in March.
Members of Faulkner’s family sat in the courtroom and watched the proceedings.
Gardaí told a hearing in March that officers had responded to a report of a violent assault near Birdhill, Co Tipperary, on March 21st and found Faulkner lying on the R494 road with critical head injuries.
They said she was airlifted from the scene to University Hospital Limerick and later transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where she remained in a “critical condition” with “life-threatening injuries”.
She died from her injuries on April 13th, after her life support was turned off at CUH on April 12th.
