Teenager who threatened allergic woman with eggs remanded at Derry Court

Derry Magistrate's Court heard today how a fifteen years old girl allegedly threatened to pour raw eggs from a pot down the throat of a female employee, whom she knew to be allergic to raw eggs, in a children's home in the Waterside area of Derry.

District Judge Ted Magill said he had no choice but to remand the girl in custody when the girl appeared charged with attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, assaulting three female staff members of the home and with causing criminal damage to a door panel, blinds, a curtain pole and a chest of drawers earlier this week.

Judge Magill said: "The only reason for remanding in custody a child is if the child presents a risk of causing serious harm to members of the public. In this case, despite her tender age of fifteen years, she does present that risk and she therefore has to be remanded in custody”.

District Judge Magill said the child mixed the eggs in a pot "and threatened to pour them down the throat of a female employee in the children's home. The injured party is severely allergic to eggs and the defendant and everyone in this home is well aware of that.

"The defendant was in an agitated state standing outside the victim's office. She put the staff member in fear due to that staff member having previous incidents related to anaphylactic shock with eggs", he said.

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Mr. Magill said the staff member along with two other colleagues went into an office and locked the door when the defendant's aggressive behaviour started. The defendant kicked in a panel in the door and allegedly causing criminal damage to furniture and fittings.

When police officers arrived at the home she aggressively resisted them and had to be handcuffed before her arrest.

He said the defendant threatened in front of the police officers to "slice" and "smash the head in" of one of the female employees and allegedly said to another staff member that she would "rip her hair out".

Applying for bail a defence barrister said the defendant, who has fourteen previous criminal convictions, seven of them for assaults, did not realise the consequences of her actions.

Bail was refused and the defendant was remanded in custody to the Juvenile Justice Centre in Woodlands and the case was adjourned until March 31.