A troubled girl who was drunk and carrying a screwdriver when she held a teenage boy up at knifepoint in St Stephen's Green has been spared a sentence and a criminal conviction.
The girl, 16, pleaded guilty at the Dublin Children's Court to theft and possessing a weapon.
Garda Aisling Kilcoyne told Judge Paul Kelly that the boy reported the theft on the evening of July 4 last year. He told gardai he had been "threatened by a girl with a screwdriver", and she took his speaker.
The officer came across her and told her she was looking for a speaker. The girl, aged 15, handed it over and took out the pencil-sized screwdriver from her pocket.
The court heard the gardai made several attempts to contact the girl's mother and then dropped her home.
"She was not a state to be interviewed," explained Garda Kilcoyne, adding that social workers were also contacted. The girl later went to Pearse Street station, where she made admissions, apologised and claimed, "I don't remember the night. I was really drunk".
She had no prior criminal convictions.
According to the girl's account, the girl there was "trouble at her house", which was "smashed up". However, defence solicitor Brian Keenan said she found the screwdriver and felt safer with it.
He added she has been in the care of Tusla for years and struggled with mental health but was "in a much better place now".
The court heard that she is in school and has attended anger-management
Her social worker and a relative attended the hearing. The solicitor furnished the court with a welfare report.
Judge Kelly also had another report from the Probation Service outlining its engagement with the teen for the past three months.
Judge Kelly noted she had not come to negative attention recently, had done the Junior Cert exams and found full-time work, which she said she enjoyed. However, the judge noted her worry that her work was in jeopardy due to the court case.
The defence submitted that the pre-sentence reports were positive.
Judge Kelly agreed her probation officer spoke "very highly" of her and noted her record of engagement with various services.
Sparing her a criminal record, he applied the Probation of Offenders Act and warned: "stay out of trouble".
The girl replied, "thank you", as he left court.
Reporting by Tom Tuite
