The Children's Court/Carl O'Brien: The judge, shaking his head, repeated the figure aloud. "€200,000? For damage to a school? That's incredible. The classrooms must be uninhabitable," Judge Geoffrey Browne said, the tone of his agitated voice rising higher and higher.
He turned towards the defendant, a small 16-year-old boy dressed neatly in a navy jumper, who looked forlornly into the middle distance.
The boy was accused of causing criminal damage to St Ronan's National School on Dublin's north side.
Gardaí said vandals had caused mayhem in the the school, which had been ransacked more than 20 times over a nine-month period.
They weren't able to say when the incident involving the 16-year-old occurred, except that there was evidence to show he was responsible for at least some of the overall damage. Despite the lack of firm evidence, the boy was pleading guilty.
"He was going through a very difficult time," his solicitor, Ms Sarah Molloy, said, hinting at the sad events which had scarred the boy's life in recent times. His father, who was trying to keep his young daughter occupied at the back of the courtroom, looked up.
"His parents separated and he was living with his mother. She was going through her own difficulties. She threw the boy and his sister out of the house and for a time they were living on the streets . . . the family was living in a field at one stage.
"During this time he kept up his schooling. He is now residing with his father. He is adamant that his siblings remain together under the one roof. His father feels his son went through a very, very rough patch."
The judge, still speaking sternly, wanted to know more about the damage caused to the school before proceeding further. "People complain that they don't get education in adequate surroundings . . . How has this happened?" he asked.
The garda from Clondalkin explained that while the school had a caretaker, there had been numerous break-ins, and one of the prefabricated buildings had been completely destroyed.
"He could possibly face prison for this," the judge intoned gravely, his eyebrows raised almost theatrically.
The boy's solicitor, seeking to mitigate the circumstances of the offences, interjected.
"It's accepted that what happened was horrendous for the school . . . The damage would have been attributed to a large number of people over a long period of time," Ms Molloy said.
"He is 16, Judge, and he has no previous convictions. He wanted to plead guilty to this offence. His father was in the Army and his grandfather was in the Army. And once he reaches 17, he also wants to join the Army."
The judge asked for a probation report, so the welfare service would be able to keep an eye on the boy in the coming months. There would be no detention.
The boy, who looked much younger than his 16 years, looked quizzically at his solicitor. His father stood up, with his daughter in his arms, and looked towards the judge. "Thank you very much," he said, nodding his head fervently. "Thank you."
Judge Browne looked up at the father and son, this time more warmly.
"Best of luck now," he said, a smile breaking out across his face. "And take care."
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