By Ian Mallon
Wednesday April 15 2009
A boy was sent a bullet in the post after a botched drug deal for Freddie Thompson’s gang.
The 14-year-old is said to be in “grave” danger after making a mistake on a drugs courier mission for the Dublin gang.
An envelope containing a bullet was among anumber of warnings sent to the schoolboy's family.
The teenager, from the South Circular Road area, is currently under 24-hour house arrest away from the family home for his own safety.
Efforts are being made to get him a residential home outside Dublin.
Dublin Children's Court heard that gardai are "aware of the serious threat he is under". A social worker said he had written to the council appealing for the family to be relocated.
He had been "hounding the council" and had explained to them why the request to re-house them was being made.
The council had been notified that the problem "was with individuals in the area threatening him and his family and putting them at risk".
The boy, who has a string of public order and criminal damage convictions, is understood to have fallen foul of a gangster because of a botched drug courier mission. The young boy had pleaded guilty earlier to Public Order Act charges.
In January when he was given bail the court heard that the boy's safety at his home address was an issue.
As a result, the bail conditions were imposed compelling him to reside at a temporary home and to stay there 24 hours a day for his own safety. An exception was granted allowing him out of the house only when he was in the company of a responsible adult.
Detention
The court also heard that the boy was agreeable to taking up the care placement in the unit outside of Dublin.
An assessment report furnished to the court earlier by the National Remand and Assessment Centre, a detention unit, in Finglas, in Dublin had stated that "there are very grave concerns about him returning to his family home".
Defence solicitor Gareth Noble said a decision would be made in the coming weeks as to whether the teen would be accepted in to the residential centre.
Judge Ann Ryan remanded the boy to appear again in May pending the decision. The bail set down in January, with the conditions restricting the boy's movement, was continued.
The case appeared before the courts on the same week that crime boss 'Fat' Freddie Thompson turned up at the city's children's court to offer protection for a teenager facing a murder charge.
He accused gardai of not protecting the 17-year-old after an attempt was made to stab him last week. The Crumlin crime boss turned up at the Dublin Children's Court on Tuesday to offer "protection" to him.
The incident has increased garda concerns that gang bosses are targeting troubled kids in the juvenile courts system and grooming them for careers in crime.
- Ian Mallon
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