A Nigerian youth will have to spend a month getting psychiatric help in the Central Mental Hospital after he suffered a drug-induced psychosis brought on by his cannabis use, a court heard yesterday.
The 17-year-old, who is an unaccompanied minor with no family in Ireland, suffered from mental derangement after he smoked a particular type of "weed", Dublin Children's Court had heard.
On February 19th he had been remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison with an added condition that he be immediately transferred to the Central Mental Hospital for urgent treatment.
When his case was called yesterday, Judge Anne Watkin was told that the youth was "having a fit" and was unable to come into the courtroom.
His solicitor, Ms Sarah Molloy, told the court yesterday that it had been recommended that he should be sent back to the Central Mental Hospital for another month.
She asked for an adjournment to allow a psychiatrist from the hospital to brief the court on the boy's condition.
Judge Watkin adjourned the case until today to allow the psychiatrist to address the court.
At his last court appearance the youth appeared confused and mumbled unintelligibly. When some of his words became coherent, he spoke about drugs, hash, finding his passport and having to write. He also appeared to be trying to write, despite not having a pen in his hand.
He had been arrested and charged after a psychiatrist diagnosed his condition and referred him to the Mater Hospital in Dublin. However, he was turned away from the Mater Hospital after being told that he did not come into its "catchment area".
He was then arrested for creating a disturbance at the hospital's A&E department on February 18th last and charged with being intoxicated to such an extent that he was a danger to himself and to others and with engaging in a breach of the peace.