A young person accused of murdering a Ukrainian teenager in Tusla accommodation last year provided at least three different dates of birth to authorities in Italy and the UK before seeking asylum in Ireland, a court has heard.
Dublin District Court is conducting an age inquiry, applied for by Tusla, regarding the Somali national, who is charged with the murder of Vadym Davydenko (17) in Donaghmede, Dublin, on October 15th last.
He remains on remand at Oberstown Children Detention Campus, despite Tusla’s belief he is an adult. Davydenko was attacked and stabbed in the apartment where he and the young person had been accommodated by Tusla.
Det Sgt Mark Quill, of Coolock Garda station, yesterday told the court he “categorically” believes the young person, who cannot be named, was an adult at the time of the alleged murder and is now 19 or 20.
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Judge Conor Fottrell said it was “highly unusual” that Tusla had sought three extensions to care orders to keep the young person in its care even after it came to the view “10 or 12 weeks ago” that he was not entitled to its services.
The court heard the young person, who was brought to court from Oberstown accompanied by gardaí, maintained his date of birth was June 20th, 2008.
“He turns 18 in five weeks,” said his barrister, Deirdre Lynch.
He has been in Tusla’s care since last July.
Quill, who is leading the murder inquiry, said the young person’s fingerprints matched those provided by an individual of the same name at two locations in Italy in February and June 2023. A date of birth of May 8th, 2007, was provided by this person in Lampedusa, and of August 5th, 2006 in Bologna, said Quill.
The young person spent about 14 months in the UK, including a period in Dundee, Scotland. He came to Ireland as a “stowaway in a container” and presented at the International Protection Offce (IPO) on July 22nd, 2025, the court heard.
Elizabeth Dobbs, reception manager at the IPO, said a Somali interpreter, Khadar Dahir, had helped the young person to fill in an unaccompanied minor form.
Dahir said the young person gave his date of birth as June 20th, 2006, which would have made him 19 at the time.
“Some time passed ... he approach me after a few minutes ... He told me he provided an incorrect date and he needed to correct it,” the interpreter said.
Dobbs said she amended the date to June 20th, 2008, and then walked the individual to Tusla offices nearby. A Tusla eligibility assessment conducted a month later deemed him to be a child.
On October 20th, 2025, Quill received an email from an individual in Ethiopia purporting to be the young person’s brother, who “wanted to help” with the investigation.
Having verified this person’s identity, he asked for the young person’s birth certificate. Documentation provided indicated the accused was born on October 8th, 2006.
“This made him 19 ... I discussed the general background of the family and the accused. He confirmed, yes, he was 19 years of age,” said Quill.
In January, however, he received a further email from the same address with a birth certificate showing the date of birth as Oct 8th, 2008.
“He apologised and said the previous one was an error and this was in fact the correct one,” Quill added.
The inquiry continues.
