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Oberstown Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie via RollingNews.ie

Child at Oberstown detention centre has a €25,000 contract out on his life

The teenager is involved with an organised crime gang.

STAFF AT THE Oberstown detention centre in north Dublin have been informed that one of the child detainees has a €25,000 contract on his life, TheJournal.ie has learned.

The child, who was sent to the centre due to his violent behaviour, has been involved with an organised crime gang and it is understood that staff at the centre now have to make additional security measures to make sure he is protected.

It is understood that staff have concerns that they would not be able to protect the child in the case that an attack would happen. The child has to attend court frequently and no additional safety measures have been made to his transport routine as a result of the threat to his life.

A number of makeshift shivs have been found on the campus in the last six weeks. While there is no evidence to suggest that they were to be used to attack the teenager, staff cannot discount that the young man was being targeted.

Sources have told TheJournal.ie that the highly-volatile detainee is aware that there is a threat to his life but said he would be considered “relatively safe” on the campus as the number of young people who share services such as education or sport is limited and those who seemingly get on with each other are often mixed together in a bid to limit the possibility of any outbursts of violence.

Staff at the centre have been urging management install safeguards.

A review of the centre, ordered by Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone, found that a serious lack of resources meant that recommendations identified in the review could not be implemented.

It read: “The limited available resources – both human and financial – have also been identified as a barrier to the implementation of some recommendations. This is evident in a number of ways. First, Oberstown resources are finite and can only be stretched so far given that it is the priority of the campus to provide 24/7 safe and secure care to young people referred by the courts on a day-to-day basis.

“In this way, the balance must be carefully struck between ensuring that Oberstown provides the best possible care to young people today, while continuing to advance the development of the Campus for the future.

“Limited resourcing is relevant therefore to the limits on the capacity of staff – to undertake training and to bed newly acquired learning into practice – and the extent to which financial resources could and should be made available to advance the review recommendations, especially bearing in mind any risks to the standard of care currently provided.

“It is important to note that some recommendations may be very costly to implement, while others might not require financial resources at all but will simply take time to take effect.”

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs said that has not published the most recent report into the operation of Oberstown, which was received in April 2018.

“The Minister [for Children] wished to be assured that fair procedures had been followed in relation to all persons referred to in the report before it can be published,” a spokesperson said. “Fair procedures means that each person must be afforded an opportunity to respond in a substantive manner, rather than simply by means of a factual accuracy check.”

“The Board has not been in a position to provide such assurances to her to date and on this basis the Minister does not proposed to publish the report.”

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    Nov 8th 2021, 8:55 AM

    ….and prosecuted?

    458
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    Mute D. Memery
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:27 AM

    @Paul Shepherd: the article says they would have to be convicted, so I’d imagine a prosecution would be required to get to that stage.

    46
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    Mute
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    Nov 8th 2021, 11:26 AM

    @Paul Shepherd: They could only punish them once they’ve been prosecuted, so yes obviously.

    27
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    Mute Brian O'Grady
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:00 AM

    Permanent ban on selling tobacco products if caught selling to minors.

    460
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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:01 AM

    What about alcohol being sold to underage kids ? It’s a far more dangerous and toxic drug and can easily kill in minutes through overdose ? Cigarettes are bad but they’re not an immediate concern. And if we’re so keen to keep dangerous drugs away from kids, why do we preserve and protect the black market that has no problem selling untested and unregulated products to anyone of any age ? It makes zero sense and as toxic as they are, Cigarettes should be the least of our concerns when it comes to drugs and children.

    205
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    Mute Mick Dunne
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:21 AM

    @Declan Doherty: so is cigarettes

    22
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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:54 AM

    @Declan Doherty: The same laws apply where alcohol is concerned. In fact I’ve never heard of a shop being banned from selling tobacco after being caught selling to minors, but know of at least 3 pubs locally that have been ordered to close for a number of weeks for serving underage people.

    42
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    Mute Pam
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:05 AM

    No, but they should have to pay huge fines. If they’re banned where will elderly locals who smoke go to buy their cigarettes?

    99
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    Mute Contrary Mary
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:14 AM

    @Pam: To another store, where they will buy other things. All the more reason to not sell to minors.

    123
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    Mute Rob Hunt
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    Nov 8th 2021, 12:08 PM

    @Pam: I actually think incurring the wrath of the elderly locals would be at least as much of a deterrent as the financial impact of not being able to sell them. Win win.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Nov 8th 2021, 7:15 PM

    @Pam: I agree, I don’t see why local adults should be inconvenienced simply because aome staff member failed to ask someone completely different for ID.

    5
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    Mute Serge the llama
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:02 AM

    Heard one in the local shop the other day. Young lad asked for ID for scratch card. Well his mother came in roaring dogs abuse at the cashier for requesting ID when his 18. Why isn’t everyone asked for ID. Pointing at the long line of customers.

    Queues were building up. Everyone was looking because the customer was so loud and obnoxious. Poor cashier went bright red but didn’t back down refused to sell the scratch card and quoted the regulations in an extremely loud voice.

    Requiring a valid photo ID for anyone who is under 21. A physical driver’s license, passport or Garda age card, not the photo of one on a phone that could be photoshopped.

    On a side note most supermarkets ask for ID if someone looks under 25.

    101
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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Nov 8th 2021, 1:18 PM

    @Serge the llama: I bought a bottle of something recently and they did not even blink an eye or ask for proof of age. A sign that I am well past that age cohort to be asked for ID LOL

    13
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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Nov 8th 2021, 5:21 PM

    @Serge the llama: I saw a boy in school uniform ask for cigarettes. He was asked for ID, he didn’t have it. He left and his mother came in roaring about being in a hurry and that it was disgraceful that the shop had asked him for ID and made her get out of her car!

    14
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    Mute DERRY1973
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:24 AM

    5 weeks off the cigarettes today, way too expensive a habit now, mind you I don’t know where all the money I saved went.

    72
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    Mute Padraic McDonagh
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:33 AM

    @DERRY1973: food! Or it least in my case I replaced one bad habit with another.

    25
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    Mute Thomas Armstrong
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    Nov 8th 2021, 2:01 PM

    @DERRY1973: Hope y stay off them. I’m 4 years now but the test is if you like the pub the drink & the cig go hand in hand in the smoking area.

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    Mute James Clifford
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    Nov 8th 2021, 6:10 PM

    @DERRY1973: congratulations and well done

    14
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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:29 PM

    @DERRY1973: All the best, I used to take out the calculator app on the phone every so often and work out the money saved as a bit of a motivator.
    It also motivates when you look back and figure you’ve smoked the price of a new car over the years, no point starting on a second car.

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    Mute Mark Howard
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:20 AM

    Or in other words persecute (yes – persecute) shopkeepers for making the odd mistake instead of the parents of these brats who are roaming the streets causing trouble. How quickly people forget they were singing the praises of retailers during the lockdown. We’re a great country for blaming the wrong person

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    Mute Jo H
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:23 AM

    @Mark Howard: it is a big jump from a teen kid taking up/trying cigarette smoking to them being br*ts who are roaming the streets to cause trouble! Have all the people you know who smoke, or are ex smokers, been that type of person?? For the record, I don’t think shops should have a their licence suspended unless a repeat offender

    34
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    Mute NoPlanetB
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:09 AM

    The way this works is they find some lad who is 6’6″ with a beard who looks 30 but is actually a teenager. They get him to ask for cigarettes in a string of shops at a busy time and when the teenager working behind the counter fails to ask for an ID the shop is nabbed.
    It is a form of entrapment. The only safe approach for shopkeepers is to get the ID from everyone, including the 60 year old granny who smokes the Superkings.

    30
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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Nov 8th 2021, 5:19 PM

    @NoPlanetB: the very fact that he looks 30 would be a mitigating factor. I work in the industry, they aren’t trying to trick people. They’ll usually send in an older looking person but in their school uniform or an older person that looks far younger. There is room for a genuine mistake being made within the regulations

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    Mute TomTraubert
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    Nov 8th 2021, 11:00 AM

    So, Hayley is having us vote on her own offence/punishment combination?

    Another journal poll fail

    Remember Hayley’s ‘do you prefer rain or sun poll’

    I reckon we should have a poll asking should Hayley be allowed to make polls

    ;-)

    24
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    Mute Rob Hunt
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    Nov 8th 2021, 12:11 PM

    @TomTraubert: Even setting aside that this is a commercial site with an editorial team and a content marketing strategy, it’s a bit nasty having a go the individual author.

    16
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    Mute TomTraubert
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    Nov 9th 2021, 11:13 AM

    @Rob Hunt: dial it down a bit there Rob fgs.

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    Mute Mike Dunne
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:28 AM

    I’ll carry on buying mine on the black market.

    23
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    Mute Tracktrack
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    Nov 8th 2021, 12:43 PM

    @Mike Dunne: Very foolish idea. Not only is it breaking the law, but those cigarettes could be counterfeit, have mould or other contamination to make them even more deadly.

    18
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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Nov 8th 2021, 4:00 PM

    @Tracktrack: Thats why its easier on smokers to just fly out of the country, bring back a carton or two and pocket the savings. Can you blame them doing that when the prices are so high the black market thrives?

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    Mute Liam Mc Meel
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:52 AM

    I go to the shop on a regular basis for me da with a note asking for John player blue and a lighter as me da can’t walk very far

    19
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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:21 AM

    It’s a while since I heard such a ridiculous plan. Retailers should be fined €10,000 and possibly be also imprisoned for supplying a dangerous drug to children.
    A suspension is unbelievable for such a serious offence.

    29
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    Mute Mark Howard
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:43 AM

    @John Mulligan: Sounds like you could do with a smoke yourself . . .

    75
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    Mute Mick Dunne
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:19 AM

    They should be banned for good

    24
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    Mute Ballybough Marcus
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:09 AM

    Common sense says yes.

    13
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    Mute JillyBean
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:38 AM

    I think there should be an award as to which teenagers are most convicing. The award would be a packet of Benson’s finest

    11
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    Mute ed w
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:38 AM

    banned from selling them to minors for a few days or cigarettes for a few days ?

    12
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    Mute Michael Carolan
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    Nov 8th 2021, 12:04 PM

    May be it’s about time the purchase of cigarettes should be as restrictive as possible…..e.g. available on prescription from a GP and only purchased from a pharmacy. In that way, the support and advise for giving them up is immediately available. But hey, it’s easy as a non smoker to say this.

    8
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Nov 8th 2021, 1:03 PM

    Many shops in US won’t sell cigs to customers of any age unless they have some form of ID.

    5
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    Mute ChronicAnxiety
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:43 AM

    These are drugs, treat them as if thay had been dealing grass.

    6
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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Nov 8th 2021, 9:49 AM

    @ChronicAnxiety: Why ? Weed is harmless when compared to cigarettes and alcohol. Alcohol can kill a child in minutes. Neither weed nor cigarettes are going to do them any harm in the short term. Why would you treat them all the same when the risk is radically different.

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    Mute Willie Penwright
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:50 AM

    @ChronicAnxiety: Dealing grass is a monopoly of the the crime lords and so is beyond the reach of this government.

    10
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    Mute Willie Penwright
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    Nov 8th 2021, 10:48 AM

    Great idea, practical and it would work and so cannot be tried.

    3
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Nov 8th 2021, 5:45 PM

    yes, no and don’t know do not amount to a sufficient number of possible responses. This online opinion poll has no scientific validity.

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    Mute Mikey
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    Nov 8th 2021, 12:36 PM

    No, what harm are they doing.

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    Mute Mick Curran
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    Nov 8th 2021, 6:23 PM

    A few days???
    Permanent ban, followed by prosecution and stiff penalties.

    2
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