Teen minibus thief remanded
A 15-year-old boy, who stole a minibus from an old folks’ day centre, which had a massive impact on the lives of 75 elderly people, has been remanded in custody pending sentence.
The minibus ferried the elderly people - many of whom live alone and some who have disabilities – to and from the day centre. Many were deprived of availing of its services for two months after it was stolen and later found burned out.
The young boy pleaded guilty at the Dublin Children’s Court today to unlawfully taking the minibus from the Glenview Lodge old people’s day centre, in Tallaght, on September 30 last.
The minibus was described in court as the “life blood” for 75 elderly people ranging in ages from 60 to 96.
Garda Noel Galvin of Tallaght Station said in evidence that the teen “got into the minibus and rammed it through two steel gates”. It was later found destroyed by fire in the Kilnamanagh area in Tallaght.
Marie Price-Bulger, the director of the Tallaght welfare society which is responsible for the day centre said the theft of the bus had a detrimental effect on the elderly people.
“It was the life blood of our day centre which looks after senior citizens ranging in ages from 60 to 96. It would collect them and bring them to the centre and then bring them home.”
“Without the bus we were not able to bring the full complement of people. There were ones in wheelchairs and others with walking frames who could not get in.”
Two months later a new bus costing €37,500 was bought.
She also said that many of the people catered for by the day centre were elderly, lived alone and vulnerable and the theft of the bus affected their sense of security.
The court heard how the teen had educational difficulties. He has the Attention Deficit Hyper Activity learning disorder and had been in a number of educational facilities without success.
Garda Galvin said the boy’s mother had tried her best to get her son help.
Judge Conall Gibbons described the teen as “wayward” and said his actions damaged his own community and had a serious effect on its elderly people.
He also and that the boy could benefit from being in a “closed environment where there are restrictions and boundaries”.
If detained the boy could receive help for his educational problems, he also added.
He remanded the teen in custody pending sentence to the National Remand and Assessment Centre in Finglas for a psychological report on him to be furnished to the court.
