Judge describes case of girl (17) as ‘child sexual exploitation on a scale’ not heard in his court before

Prepaid taxis are arriving at a teenage girl’s care placement to bring her to hotels and residences for sex with “up to 30 adult males” in exchange for alcohol and drugs, the Dublin District Childcare Court has heard.

Judge Conor Fottrell was told that the girl (17), who has been in Tusla’s care since early this year, was introduced to drugs and men by an older woman who was benefiting from the teenager having sex with them.

Describing the abuse as “child sexual exploitation on a scale” not heard before in his court, the judge said the issue was “real and serious” and “coming before these courts on a regular basis”.

“The agencies of the State need to tackle [this] as a matter of urgency,” he said, adding that vulnerable children, “predominantly girls”, were being exploited at a horrific level.

The judge said it “beggars belief” that Tusla’s special care committee on October 13th had refused to seek a High Court order for the teenager to be detained special care – the most secure form of care.

Counsel for Tusla said the application was due to be reconsidered next week, with a probable High Court application for a special care order in mid-November.

[ No special care place available for girl (14) being sexually exploited by group of menOpens in new window ]

The girl’s court-appointed advocate, Sarah O’Reilly, said the adolescent was recently assaulted by a man she declined to have sex with. The girl was “open and honest” about having unprotected sex, including group sex, and had contracted a number of sexually-transmitted diseases, she said.

“She says she gets drugs in these exchanges and feels she is very much in control of the situation which ... is not the case.”

A concern for the girl was that the older woman was also “benefiting” from her sexual activity, she said.

A toxicology report last month found morphine, methadone, cocaine, cannabis, barbiturates, amphetamine and antidepressants in the teenager’s system.

Her absconding from her placement, often to be taken in prepaid taxis to meet men, had escalated since September, the court heard.

“Her current placement is unequipped and unable to provide the level of safety and containment she requires,” said a social work report on the girl’s circumstances.

While she previously said she wanted to come off drugs, she currently “wants to continue to use drugs”, O’Reilly said.

She said special care would provide the teenager with “an environment where she cannot use drugs and she is not going to be exposed to these men”.

Describing the case as “horrendous” and “really horrific”, the judge said the girl had experienced “a lot of trauma and adversity in her life”. There had been “a number of admissions to hospital around concerns for her mental health”, he added.

“It is just appalling for me what is happening to this poor girl.”

[ ‘We are terrified’: Father calls for son driving at 200km/h into traffic to be detainedOpens in new window ]

The judge said the teenager “clearly requires a high level of therapeutic input” and this could not be “provided to her until in safe placement”. He said the “obvious placement” for her would be in special care.

Listing the matter to return to his court after the case is reconsidered by Tusla’s special care committee, he asked for a Garda report on investigations into alleged sexual exploitation of the girl.

“This issue of exploitation of children in care is a real and serious issue which the agencies of the State need to tackle as a matter of urgency,” he said.

“It is coming before these courts on a regular basis. These vulnerable children, predominantly girls, are being exploited at a horrific level. This requires a multi-agency approach.

“This young girl, the immediate issue is getting this girl safe. Where she currently is she is not safe. She is at serious and very high risk every single day she remains in [her current] placement.”