Father told he faces arrest

A judge has warned a Limerick father that he may have to issue a warrant for his arrest if he does not attend his teenage son's next court hearing.

Judge Tom O'Donnell issued the warning at the Children's Court in Limerick, where a 17-year-old who is charged with trying to steal a quad bike from a Garda station, appeared before the court.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has 22 previous convictions, mostly for public order offences.

In a direct appeal to Judge O'Donnell yesterday his father said he had tried everything he could with his son but he cannot get through to him.

The man said he "had other things to be doing" on a Tuesday afternoon, and told the judge that he would not be coming to court anymore with his son.

The father said he had sought help for his son from the HSE, the Mid Western Regional Hospital and the Garda but claimed he was "getting nowhere".

Judge O'Donnell told the man that his son was his responsibility and that he could not release him of his responsibility under the Children's Act.

He adjourned the case for one week and told the father to be in court on that date.

"If you're not here I will have to deal with matters as I see fit and that may mean issuing a bench warrant for your arrest," warned Judge O'Donnell.

The man replied: "At this stage I don't mind."

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times