A teenager has been remanded in custody after he was charged in connection with a hit and run in Cork city which resulted in a toddler spending seven weeks in hospital in Dublin.
The 17-year-old was brought before Cork District Court on Monday afternoon where he was charged with ten separate offences arising out of the incident on March 25th.
The teenager was charged with dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to the toddler (2). He cannot be named as his identity is protected in court under the provisions of the Children’s Act.
The teenager was also charged with driving a dangerously defective vehicle and with failing to stop, failing to keep his vehicle at the scene of an incident and failing to report the incident to gardai.
He was also charged with a series of other motoring offences including driving without a licence, failing to produce a driving licence, driving without insurance and failing to produce a certificate of insurance.
He was also charged with a tenth count of possessing stolen property found in the boot of the car, namely a Makita skill saw, a Makita plane, a Makita angle grinder and a 110 volt transformer on the same occasion.
Garda Darren Reid gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that the teenager made no reply to any of the ten charges when they were put to him after caution.
Sgt Gearoid Davis said gardai were seeking a remand in custody and Garda Reid said they were objecting to bail because of the seriousness of the charges including the dangerous driving causing serious bodily injury to the toddler.
Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke said that his client was seeking bail. He pointed out that his client was available at all times to gardai since the time of the alleged incident and he submitted that he did not pose a flight risk.
He also pointed out that his client had not driven a car since the time of the alleged incident and said he was willing to abide by any conditions sought by gardai including residing at the family home and keeping a curfew.
However Judge Olann Kelleher said he was refusing bail given the seriousness of the charges and he remanded the teenager in custody to Oberstown to appear again at Cork District Court on Friday.
