UPDATED – Teen sex offender in female HSE unit

AN 18-year-old male registered sex offender has been placed in an emergency HSE residential care unit designed to accommodate vulnerable females aged 15-18. Rosemount Centre, Clare Street, provides emergency and planned residential care for females whose primary need is homelessness. It also caters for three semi- independent living placements for both male and females of similar ages.

However, the Limerick Post has learned that the 18-year-old registered sex offender, who was convicted in 2010 for an offence he committed when he was just 14,has been housed at the centre for the last month. It is claimed that there are vulnerable females at the unit and senior security forces have expressed concerns for their safety.
The unit was set up on Clare Street where the aim was to return the young persons, brought there through planned admissions from the HSE panel, to either home or on toward supported accommodation, with independent living also being an end goal.
At the time of admission, a source claimed that a senior HSE official described it as “the best place for him”. They added that this order came from the very top of the HSE management chain. Everyone was aware of the background so I don’t understand why it happened.
The source, who didn’t want to be identified, but who was close to the case, said that the offender was often “out and about and wouldn’t always obey the curfews of the centre. He was out socialising because he wanted to see a band playing in town. There are centre rules and they are not being followed, but that’s the least of the worry.”
The youth concerned was convicted for a violent rape in 2010 of a girl in county Clare and was detained in St Patrick’s Institution.
Upon his release, he was taken into HSE care despite being 18 and considered an adult.
He has been housed in the HSE juvenile centre on Clare Street for over one month.
Calls to the HSE press office went unanswered prior to going to print this Wednesday.

 

UPDATE – ON Thursday evening last, the HSE, through an area communications manager, issued a media response to the above story covered by the Limerick Post. The statement questions the “inaccurate allegations” of an “uncorroborated report” carried by this newspaper. “Standards of journalism” were also questioned by the HSE in connection with the story.

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The Statement reads:

The HSE wishes to respond to an inaccurate and uncorroborated report published in the Limerick Post newspaper dated Saturday 05th May 2012. The HSE wishes to point out it is not our practice to disclose or divulge details in relation to our dealings with any individual including vulnerable children in care and young adults in aftercare.
The article as printed in the Limerick Post newspaper is based on a number of significant inaccuracies. Allegations in relation to the individual residing in the HSE service are inaccurate.

Furthermore, the identification in the newspaper article of the location of this facility has placed the vulnerable young adults at risk. The HSE would ask that no other media outlet identify the specific location of this service in the interests of the young adults.
Since 2009 the Child Care centre has operated as a mixed sex centre and supports male and female teenagers and young adults in a safe and appropriate environment.  The HSE wishes to reiterate that it has and does take all proper steps in conducting appropriate risk assessments in all of its decision making pertaining to the operation of Children’s Residential Centre’s, which are under the direct regulatory control of HIQA.

No reasonable attempt was made to contact HSE Communications services (and we have no record of such an attempt). No opportunity was afforded to the HSE to respond to inaccurate allegations in the article prior to it going to print. While this is not in keeping with normal standards of journalism, combined with the inaccuracies in the article it has caused substantial, serious and real risk to a number of people.

To clarify, the Limerick Post and indeed this journalist, did make contact and put three calls into the HSE West communications office based in Catherine Street prior to going to press and the original query of whether or not the HSE are housing or were housing this individual remains unanswered, denied or confirmed to this paper.

The right of reply has been extended to the HSE should they wish to comment further to the Limerick Post on the story.

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