He was arrested on 28 December at his home address, where police officers discovered alcohol stolen from the café.
Advocate Michael Haines, defending, put forward a guilty plea to the charge and a bail application for the boy to stay with a family member until his next court hearing on 2 January 2018.
Pictured: The boy appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Deciding whether to grant bail on condition of a curfew, Magistrate Peter Harris asked the boy’s relative, who was sitting in court, “…nobody suggests a young lad should be locked in his bedroom, but how confident can you be that he won’t go out?”
The relative replied: “If he does go out while I’m awake or if I see him gone if I wake up, I will call the Police straight away, that is the only assurance I can give you.”
Magistrate Harris told the boy: “You are out of control and you are doing illegal and potentially dangerous things. How can I have confidence that you won’t breach your curfew? …You’re not a very good bet.”
He continued: “We have a very high risk weekend, Friday night, Saturday night and New Years’ Eve. I can’t ignore the fact that the Court is not sitting between now and next Tuesday to deal with any breach to bail conditions.
Pictured: Off The Rails Café, where the offence took place.
“I regrettably have to enforce these conditions. I’m going to refuse bail, not because I don’t believe in you, but because this is an especially high risk period and I have greater concern for your welfare.”
The boy has been remanded in custody at Greenfields secure unit until his next court appearance on 2 January 2018.