Boy (14) told he must live at care home

A 14-year-old Dublin boy charged following a domestic row has been released on bail on condition that he stay off drugs, reside…

A 14-year-old Dublin boy charged following a domestic row has been released on bail on condition that he stay off drugs, reside in a care home and does not threaten members of his family.

The boy, who had described being in custody for the past three weeks as “a holiday camp”, had been held in a youth detention centre by order of the Dublin Children’s Court after he repeatedly broke bail terms.

The court had also directed psychiatric and psychological assessments to be carried out on him and heard he had been “smoking cannabis and doing things he should not be”.

Yesterday he was released on bail on conditions including that he reside at a care home proved by the HSE, obey a curfew, and “abstain from threatening behaviour against members of his family and care staff”.

The teenager, who was accompanied to his hearing by his mother and a social worker, was ordered to appear again later this month when he is to enter pleas to charges for criminal damage to his mother’s front door and a microwave oven in her kitchen at their west Dublin home.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter