A TEENAGER tried to strangle a social worker with the lead of an MP3 player when the woman took her on a day out from a centre where young people are sent by the courts for their own safety, a court heard.
The young woman – who cannot be named because she was a juvenile at the time of the offence – wept as she apologised to the victim of her attack, saying “I never meant to do that to you”.
The girl was living in Coovagh House at the time, a facility in Limerick which caters to the needs of children aged between 11 and 17, who are placed in a special care unit by a court when their behaviour poses a risk of harm to their life, health, safety, development, or welfare.
On May 16, 2023, a social worker took the girl out to the University of Limerick campus, where she planning to use the gym, Limerick District Court heard.
An argument ensued in which the girl did not want the social worker to come into the gym with her. After threatening to strangle the older woman, the girl wrapped an MP3 wire around her neck and pulled her to the ground, where she also punched and kicked the social worker until a third party intervened.
Having seen pictures of the ligature marks on the woman’s neck and her other bruising and abrasions, Judge Patricia Haney described it as an “appalling attack”.
When the judge asked about the girl’s history, she was told that the now 18 year old had previously gone to another jurisdiction, the North of Ireland, where she amassed 30 convictions, 17 of them for assault on members of the PSNI, common assault, criminal damage, and possession of drugs.
Speaking by video link from Dochas, the adult women’s prison in Dublin, she wept as she offered an apology to the victim, who was in court.
“I’m going through so much of my own stuff,” she said. “I didn’t mean to do that to you. I just couldn’t control it – I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart.”
“For someone of her age to have such a litany of assaults is astounding,” Judge Harney said.
The young girl told the judge “when I see policemen coming at me, I just go mad”.
But Judge Harney said the victim of this assault “was not a policeman. It was a social worker, someone who was trying to help you, who took you on an outing.”
“She was afraid she was going to die – she thought she was going to die and she could have died, except someone stepped in. I’ve seen the ligature marks on her neck. There comes a time when you have to take responsibility for your actions and how they affect others.”
Judge Harney said that will need a professional report on the teenager.
She adjourned the matter until June 16.