THE 15 year old girl charged with the murder of chip shop owner Mr Franco Sacco at his home in Templeogue last month has been granted £3,000 bail in the High Court.
Mr Justice Shanley told her she could live with her parents until the hearing of her trial which is not expected to come before the courts for another year.
He accepted a £3,000 surety posted by her stepfather together with a total of seven undertakings from the parents, which included a 10.30 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew.
The undertakings included the surrender by her mother of their joint passport; an undertaking by the mother not to apply for a passport for herself or her daughter without informing gardai; an undertaking by the girl to reside with her parents and to report to gardai daily; that the mother undertake to notify gardai of any difficulties she may have in supervising the girl, and that the girl herself abide with a 10.30 p.m. to 8. curfew on her movements outside the home other than in the company of one or both of her parents.
Mr Justice Shanley said that although the girl had run away from home last July to live in the deceased man's home, he was satisfied the parents now fully intended to apply a strict supervision of their daughter.
He warned the girl that if she broke any of the conditions of her bail she would be returned to Oberstown remand centre, where she had spent the previous two nights, until her trial.
Ms Mary Ellen Ring, counsel for the girl, said an adult woman had already been charged with the murder and had been granted bail of £36,000. She said the girl had appeared on Tuesday before the District Court and yesterday before the Children's Court and in both cases orders banning the publication of her name and address had been granted. Mr Justice Shanley made a similar order yesterday.
Ms Ring said that on April 1st the girl had been arrested and charged with murder and had been remanded by the District Court to Oberstown House Lusk Co Dublin.
Del Insp Martin McLoughlin of Tallaght Garda station told Mr Desmond Dockery, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), that the only charge facing the girl was one of murder and he felt because of the seriousness of the charge and the nature of the evidence, including three admission statements, she might, not turn up for her trial if granted bail.
He said she had "lock, stock and barrel run away from her home in July last year and had resided with the deceased and his wife until the time of the murder. Del Insp McLoughlin said the girl had presented herself at Tallaght Garda station of her own volition. She had no previous convictions.
The girl's mother said her daughter left home in July last year and it was a couple of weeks before they found out where she was living. She knew the deceased and his wife. She said she was willing to have her daughter live with, her and supervise her until the time of her trial.
The girl's stepfather said he partly owned the home in which they lived and there was a mortgage of about £2,000 remaining on it. He was an adult student and could not afford to post a major amount of money towards bail but he felt he could manage £2,000.
Mr Justice Shanley said there was no doubt gardai, believed there was a risk of the girl failing to stand trial and it was something the court had to take very seriously, particularly since the girl had not resided at home from July last until March of this year.
"There must be a concern that, whatever their good intentions, the parents will not be able to realise those intentions, the judge said.
He said it seemed to him that at the present moment the parents intended to supervise the girl for bail purposes, and he was prepared to accept their intentions were entirely bona fide.
The girl told the court she was aware of the significance of the undertakings she was entering into.