Teenager Daniel McAnaspie, who was murdered in 2010, had begged social workers to “have him locked up” in the months before he died, an inquest has heard.
The boy, originally from Finglas, had had more than 20 care placements in the 15 months before he died as his life became increasingly chaotic. His social workers made repeated applications to the HSE care committee to seek a secure-care place for him, all of which were refused.
The inquest into his death, which is taking place in Co Meath and is scheduled to last a week, heard on Monday that secure-care beds for children at high risk remain “in crisis”, with 150 such children in inappropriate places.
Though there are 24 secure-care beds, just 15 are operating due to difficulties staffing them which was “not satisfactory when the need is so great”, the six-person jury heard.
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A young person, who is deemed to be at such risk to themselves or others, as to need therapeutic residential care, may be detained in secure care by the High Court.
Daniel, who had been known to care services from birth and was in State care from aged 10, was stabbed to death on 26th February 2010 at Tolka Valley Park, Dublin 11. His badly decomposed body was found in a drainage ditch in Co Meath by a farmer almost three months later.
In April 2017 Richard Dekker, from Blanchardstown, was sentenced to life for his murder. Trevor Noone, Blanchardstown, was imprisoned for 13 years for manslaughter. In July 2022, Dekker lost his appeal against his sentence.
Keith Homan, Daniel’s social-care worker on February 25th, 2010, told coroner Nathaniel Lacey he worked at the residential care home where Daniel had been living for the previous two weeks. He and a colleague dropped Daniel to meet friends in Finglas and arranged to collect him at 9.30pm.
When Daniel did not turn up as arranged, Mr Homan phoned him, made attempts to find him and had some text contact, the last at 12.05am when he reported Daniel missing.
Monday’s inquest heard Daniel’s father died when he was very young and he experienced neglect.
Deborah Talbot, area manager in Dublin north city social work department, said Daniel lived with his mother but this ended when he was 10, though he continued to have supervised access with her.
“He was presenting as sad, anxious and worried about his mother.” When she died this “was impactful on him,” said Ms Talbot.
He had a number of care placements, including with family, but his “exceptional needs” made his behaviour challenging. He engaged in self-harm, had in-patient psychiatric support and had difficulties managing school, she said.
“In the last 15 months of his life had more than 20 placements,” including out-of-hours which he could only access after midnight, said Ms Talbot. “Throughout this period the HSE applied for secure care which was not approved.”
Social worker Aileen Culhane read a letter she wrote to the HSE’s special care committee in late April 2009 appealing its decision not to seek secure care for Daniel, in which she said he had come to the office terrified.
“He pleaded with us to have him locked up. He said that he owes over €2,000 to drug dealers.” The following day, “he presented in a very tired manner. He had spent the previous night in the Mater hospital A & E department.”
She said the team “used to call him the homing pigeon” as he often came to the office to sleep and get clean clothes. He was very keen to learn to read and write. “We were very fond of Daniel…He was always pleasant and courteous.”
Dr Gerry McCarney, a psychiatrist who saw Daniel about his use of benzodiazepines and cannabis in 2009, said if he had been placed in secure care “it would have made a big difference”.
He added: “Secure care is a situation where you know [vulnerable young people] are going to remain in a secure environment.”
The inquest continues on Tuesday.
