Laws that provide for the prosecution of children as young as 10 for serious crimes are "astounding", Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan said yesterday, reports Alison Healy.
The age of criminal responsibility is set at 12 but children as young as 10 can be prosecuted for the crimes of murder, rape and sexual assault. “There’s inconsistency certainly in terms of how we legislate for those things,” she said.
It was highly questionable that, the more complex the crime, the younger you were expected to comprehend your actions, Ms Logan added. It was obvious that “political expediency” sometimes drove legislation. She was speaking at the opening of the International School Psychology Association’s annual conference at Dublin Castle last night.
