The mother of an extremely disturbed, mildly mentally handicapped teenage boy, who is described as a real danger to himself and others, has told the High Court her son now regrets disclosing that he had been sexually abused.
Because of the disclosure he had been taken away from his family more than two years ago to get treatment and has still not received the help he needs.
Her son had been threatened that if he revealed the sexual abuse (which occurred outside the home) he would be taken away from his family, his mother said. But that was in effect what had happened: her son had been taken from home when he was 12 and he was now almost 15.
She had been told by the relevant health board it would help him and get him the treatment he required, but the boy had instead been placed in remand centres and a high-support centre and was now back in a remand centre.
"My son can't suffer any longer," she said. "He suffered in silence for six years and is still suffering in silence".
She said her son had been in front of several psychiatrists for assessment. "It's still back to the same thing: he's not getting proper care and help, his whole childhood is gone, his teenage years are gone. He should be helped now," she said.
She told Mr Justice Kelly her son had asked her to tell the judge he really wanted help. He did not want to stay in the remand centre for much longer.
She said: "I'm sick of this. I want him back home. We can be a family again."
The boy was sexually abused as a child and has a mental age of eight or nine. He has been detained in a State remand centre for the past six weeks and was again returned there yesterday because there is no appropriate facility for such children in the State. Apparently as a consequence of the sexual abuse, the boy has a history of fire-setting and has tried to hang himself.
The health board in the case has taken legal proceedings against the State seeking orders compelling it to provide a place for the boy in a suitable secure residential unit equipped with all necessary services and not connected with places of remand or custody.
Mr Cormac Corrigan SC, for the board, said his client wanted the boy to go home but that was not yet possible. He sought an order directing that the boy remain in the remand centre and said he was to be assessed there by a forensic psychiatrist.
He agreed the remand centre was not ideal for the child but asked that he remain there for "a further short period".
Mr Justice Kelly said there was no question of his being returned home at this stage. He understood and sympathised with the boy's mother's frustration, but said the boy's welfare required that he remain at the remand centre until the latest assessment was carried out.
The situation was not satisfactory and had not been so for a long time, but there was nothing he could do "to try and right the omissions and neglect of years".
He made an order directing the boy's continued detention at the remand centre and returned the case to June 30th.
