A 15-year-old boy who went on four week crime spree that included 13 break-ins and nine bike thefts has been released on bail after he told a judge that he didn’t like the two days he spent in a Garda cell.
The teenager, who can not be named for legal reasons, was before Limerick Children’s Court where Detective Garda Colum O’Shea outlined details of the 24 charges against him.
Last Sunday, he was questioned about 13 burglaries at student homes in the Castletroy area; the theft of nine bicycles from the UL campus; a trespass at another Castletroy property where he was arrested, the theft of a camera from a customer at McDonalds restaurant in Castletroy and possession of a crowbar.
After Judge Mary Larkin was told that the boy’s mother or grandmother didn’t have money to lodge as a cash surety for bail, defence solicitor John Herbert asked the court to consider the spirit of the Children’s Act as the money just wasn’t there. He said that the boy wanted to change his ways and promised to do so.
Stating that she wanted to hear the boy give an undertaking to the court, Judge Larkin asked him if he was “going to stop smoking weed and go back to school”.
“Yes I am, and I will go to the drug and addiction counselling”, he said.
“And why should I trust you? How would you like it if someone stole your bike? Were you in the cells over the weekend, I bet you didn’t like it”, the Judge asked.
The boy replied that he didn’t like his time in custody and added “I don’t want to get locked up”.
“Well remember what it looks like inside of those cells time you decide to go off the rails because it will be the inside of Oberstown the next time”, Judge Larkin warned adding that he was not to miss another day of school.
Granting bail, Judge Larkin imposed a daily sign on condition, a curfew as well as barring him from the Castletroy area and the city centre save for appointments and school related attendance.
The case was adjourned to April 4 for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
