Teen offender reaches 72nd conviction
A teen repeat offender has reached his 72nd criminal conviction for offences committed after he was released early from a juvenile detention centre.
The boy, aged 16, from south Dublin, had been arrested for driving a stolen car and for stealing a handbag, the Children’s Court heard.
Presiding Judge William Early said the boy is facing an 18-month sentence unless he can show that he has left offending behind him.
"As far as I am concerned this is the last opportunity you will get from this court," he said as he adjourned the case to give the boy a chance to show he can stay out of trouble.
Releasing the teenager on strict bail, he strenuously warned the boy that should he commit another offence or come to the adverse attention of gardaí, he will automatically get an 18-month sentence in St Patrick’s Institution.
On April 2 last year, the boy had been sentenced to two years detention in the Trinity House Detention Centre for a litany of offences.
However, nearly nine months into the sentence, Trinity House released the boy from custody.
The teenager had admitted the offences, which took place in the early hours of March 22 last.
He had been stopped on Mountainview Road, in Harold’s Cross. The car had been stolen on the previous night and in it, gardaí found a handbag, which had been taken during the course of a burglary in Rathmines.
The handbag contained cheques and bank cards to the value of €50, Judge Early was told.
Prosecuting Garda John O’Donnell said the boy already had 70 previous convictions on his record.
In an outline of the boy’s criminal history, Garda O’Donnell gave Judge Early a list of car theft, assaults, criminal damage, possession of implements for use in a larceny, breach of the peace and drunk and disorderly offences.
Defence solicitor Mr John Quinn said that the boy, who is out of school and unemployed since his release from the detention centre, is now looking for a job.
He has done a training course to help him secure employment as a construction labourer, he said.
He also asked Judge Early to request intervention from the probation officers who may be able to help find the boy a job.
"He was supposed to be there [Trinity House] for two years," Judge Early said. He then asked the boy’s father if he thought the boy would re-offend if released.
"I’m trying to find him a job," his father replied. Judge Early again asked him to answer the question that he had put to him. "I have to say I hope he doesn’t, he has paid the price for the other charges he was up on," his father answered.
In reply, Judge Early told the father that the boy been in custody for less than a year, having been sentenced to two years detention.
The father then said that it was not the boy’s fault for committing the offences as he had been released from custody early. The father also said that he was against the early release for his son.
However Judge Early said that the offences were the boy’s fault: "As soon as he was out he committed further offences."
He granted bail with strict conditions compelling the boy to sign on daily at Kilmainham Garda Station and to obey a curfew from 9.30pm to 8am.
He said that should the boy commit another offence or come to the adverse attention of gardaí he will automatically get an 18-month sentence in St Patrick’s Institution.
The case was adjourned until July.
