This article is from page 4 of the 2006-04-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
ONE of two teenagers accused of involvement in a crime spree in Kilrush last week has claimed he has been threatened in a detention centre.
The 17-year-old said he was threatened in St. Patrick’s Institution, where he was been held in connection with damage to two houses and four cars in the John Paul Estate.
His solicitor asked Ennis District Court last Friday that his client be transferred to another place of detention.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, and his co-accused, John Casey junior (19), of Crawford Street, Kilrush, are both charged with six offences, arising out of alleged incidents, after 2am on April 4.
At Ennistymon District Court last Wednesday, gardaí successfully opposed bail for the pair, because of the “seriousness of the charges”.
Both appeared again at Ennis District Court on Friday, where solicitor, Eugene O’Kelly, detailed the claim made by the 17-year-old.
“We are consenting to a remand, but we are requesting that he not be sent to St. Patrick’s Institution . . . He has been threatened on numerous occasions,” he said.
He told Judge Joseph Mangan that his client had made several complaints to the governor there and he was told to bring it to the attention of the court.
“If there is a problem with St. Patrick’s, I can’t administer St. Patrick’s. If you conceive that your client has problems, you can communicate with the Minister. If that is not satisfactory, you can go to the High Court,” said Judge Joseph Mangan.
He remanded the accused to St. Patrick’s Institution and refused bail for Casey.
In opposing an earlier bail application last Wednesday, Detective Garda Michael McDonagh said John Casey did “not have regard for law and order in Kilrush.”
“I believe Mr Casey is capable of approaching a witness. I have no doubt about that,” he said.
“The injured parties are in a vulnerable state. For their own safety, we would strongly object to Mr Casey getting bail here today,” he added.
Defending solicitor, Tara Godfrey, said her client, who was unemployed and lived with his mother, had “never been convicted of threatening or attempting to tamper with a witness.”
Both accused will appear again in court later in the month.