A judge has been forced to assign a severely brain damaged man who is prone to "frightening" violent behaviour to the care of his elderly parents because the State has no facilities to look after him.
"This is a terrible situation," said Judge Frank O'Donnell in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, adjourning the case until tomorrow. "Everyone should be working around the clock so that this man can be cared for.
"I adjourned it so that the State - and I mean the State in its widest possible sense - could do something about it. It's not right that this should be happening." The 28-year-old man pleaded guilty to larceny in 1998 and his injuries, which were caused as a result of an accident in 1997, came to the attention of the authorities only when he was remanded to Mountjoy Prison for sentencing.
Prosecuting counsel Ms Mary Ellen Ring said he has been under treatment since June 2000 in an English special care facility, the National Centre for Brain Injuries at St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton. He returned in the care of two staff members of the centre for the court hearing It was learned later that his treatment cost about £20,000 a month to the South Western Area Health Board.
The court was told there were no appropriate treatment facilities for the man in Dublin.
Judge O'Donnell said there had been extremely frightening behaviour from the man in June and July, demonstrating that he could be a potential danger to himself and to society. "What am I to do?", Judge O'Donell added, saying he had no option but to assign him to the care of his elderly parents who, despite their caring and the best of intentions, could not provide him with the necessary supervision.
He added: "I am not saying anyone is to blame. But someone has to be responsible for this. I can't send him to Mountjoy. Not with his injuries."