Juvenile in Letterkenny assault case warned drug use could see bail revoked - Donegal Daily

A juvenile male charged with a serious assault in Letterkenny has been warned that bail could be revoked.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, ap...

A juvenile male charged with a serious assault in Letterkenny has been warned that bail could be revoked.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Letterkenny District Court.

He is charged with assaulting a man and causing him harm at a location in the Letterkenny area in March 2026. The charge is contrary to section 3 (1) and 3 (2) of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997 (as amended by section 20 of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2023).

Earlier in the year, he spent a lengthy period in custody at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus in Dublin before being granted conditional bail.

However, when Judge Emile Daly said she would require an updated probation report, Garda Sergeant Jim Collins informed the court that the defendant has been found to have consumed illegal drugs in recent times.

“I was of a mind to seek to revoke bail,” Sergeant Collins said. “There are no beds available (in Oberstown) and that is the only reason I am not seeking.”

After liaising with a social worker, Sergeant Collins confirmed that the accused had tested positive for the THC compound for cannabis and he also admitted to having taken cocaine.

Among the strict conditions for the accused’s bail relate to internet usage.

Raphoe Badminton Club's Corey Chambers takes silver in Luxembourg U17 International

The court heard that Tusla has offered to provide a laptop for educational purposes.

“We will be analysing social media and if there is a breach we will seek to bring him back before the court,” Sergeant Collins said. “I feel that strongly about it.”

Sergeant Collins said that despite his “great progress”, where he had done “extremely well” in some aspects, there were others where he had “left himself down”.

Judge Daly said she would only finalise the matter before the court when there is a “plateau” and said the accused needed to be advised as to how he can “protect his future self”.

Sergeant Collins added: “He is doing very well in some aspects, but there are concerns - and proven by urinalysis - that he could be dipping back to the dark side. I want to put on record that I will very strenuously seek to revoke bail if there is a breach.”

Judge Daly told the defendant: “You know the hope I have in you and your ability to change. You’re as close to falling back down than you ever were. If you start engaging in the misuse of substances then things will look very different and I do not want that for you.”

Judge Daly amended the bail conditions to include a provision for urinalysis to be carried out.

The accused asked if the laptop from Tusla could also be used to earn money, via sites such as Vinted, but Judge Daly stressed that it was to be used “just for educational purposes.”