A Roma family, whose two-year-old son was removed by gardaí two years ago, in what has been described as a case of “hysterical” policing, have been awarded a five-figure sum in damages.
The now four-year-old boy was removed from his home after a number of members of the public voiced their concerns about the youngster due to his blonde hair.
According to The Irish Times, the removal of the boy was unwarranted with the family’s lawyer, Peter Bland SC, concluding that it amounted to “ethnic profiling”.
The boy and a seven-year-old girl were removed from their home in Athlone and Tallaght in October 2013 after a blonde child, Maria, was found in a Roma camp in Greece - she did not belong to the family she was living with.
The young boy was returned to his family the next day after a DNA test confirmed he was their child.
Noting the very difficult circumstances and the trauma the little boy clearly endured, Mr Justice Paul McDermott awarded the family the sum of €60,000, plus High Court costs. He also allocated a small payment now to meet the costs of a computer for the child who, the judge was told, likes playing games on it.
In 2014, Emily Logan, the then Children’s Ombudsman, recognised that the gardaí honestly thought they were acting in the best interests of the young boy.
