‘Not good enough’: Kildare judge criticises ‘loophole’ in Irish law
JUVENILE CASE
A Naas District Court judge told a Tusla worker to tell her superiors to fix a 'loophole' in Irish law.
Judge Desmond Zaidan made the comments during an in-camera (in private) hearing in Naas District Court on Thursday, November 17, involving a teenage girl.
It was heard on a previous court date that the girl would rather go to a detention centre then reside in her current residential care home, and as such, she left the property to go live at a new address.
However, Judge Zaidan was shocked when Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob told the judge that the girl had not turned up to court, while both the Tusla worker and the girl's legal representative could not provide an explanation as to why she was not present.
Judge Zaidan said: "This is one of the major deficits of the child protection of Ireland.
"They (juveniles in State care) can just open the door and leave... the State needs to tighten-up the law."
Speaking directly to the Tusla worker, the judge said: "You should take this up with the lawmakers. The laws need to be beefed-up, it's a serious loophole."
He continued: "If she was my child, I would make every effort to know where she is.
"It is not good enough."
Judge Zaidan adjourned the case to December 8 to allow for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions, and agreed to remand the juvenile on continuing bail.
He once more asked the Tusla worker to pass on his comments to her superiors, to which she replied that she would do so.
At another earlier court date involving the teenager, the judge remarked that the State had 'let her down.'