Youth on Mayo manslaughter charge may switch schools

A SECONDARY school student charged with manslaughter is to transfer to another school from the new year, a court heard this week (Tuesday).

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged on Sunday with the unlawful killing of Dovydas Jenkas (17) at Claremount Estate, Claremorris, in the early hours of Saturday last.

At a special sitting of the district court on Sunday, Judge Mary Devins remanded the accused on bail to Ballina District Court on Tuesday on a number of conditions. These bail terms were revisited on Tuesday by the judge.

The question of the whether the accused should continue attending his old secondary school and the 'security' issues that might be involved were dealt with at Tuesday's court.

Mr. Evan O'Dwyer, solicitor, said that on behalf of the accused he had made a formal application to another secondary school for a transfer and a decision on that application is pending.

Judge Devins said the 'unusual set of circumstances' involved were causing her concern and she wondered that given the 'enforced intimacy' of a school situation were there any risks involved.

Detective Sergeant James Carroll, who arrested the accused in Claremorris on Sunday and later charged him, said he was satisfied the situation was confined to two people and he didn't think there was a risk involved to anybody else.

Superintendent Joe Doherty applied for a remand on bail to February 16 for the preparation of the book of evidence and to allow the DPP consider further charges.

Under the bail conditions, the accused's mother, who again accompanied him in court, must furnish a cash bail of €5,000, both the accused and his mother must surrender their passports, the accused must reside with his mother and obey a curfew between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., and he must sign on thrice weekly at Claremorris Garda Station.

The accused must also make himself available at all times to gardaí during his curfew periods and must not make contact with the family of the alleged victim or any witnesses.

The judge also ordered that the accused refrain from making any comments on social media about any aspects of the case.