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An "out-of-control" teen who attacked a city bus driver will spend the holidays in jail, a provincial court judge said Wednesday.
Judge Chris Cleaveley ruled there is no option but to keep the boy in jail pending future court dates, as there is nowhere for the boy to go. His mother will not take him and foster placements are not available because he has become increasingly violent.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is a young offender, was arrested Dec. 18. A bus driver offered the teen a ride on his bus after he saw him staggering drunk at the Lansdowne exchange.
The driver didn't think it was right to leave the teen on the street in such a state, and wanted to help him get home.
On the bus, however, the teen started harassing a female passenger. The driver stopped and went back to see what was going on. The teen kicked him in the knee and punched him in the stomach, prosecutor Lorne Fisher told the court.
Two other passengers intervened, dragged the teen off the bus and held him until police arrived.
He was taken to Royal Inland Hospital after his arrest because of the severity of his intoxication. At the hospital, he "went ballistic," Fisher said. Four people were required to hold him down. He was admitted to the psychiatric ward for observation.
The teen's behaviour has been deteriorating over the past several months, the judge was told.
He uses drugs and drinks too much. In fact, he works hard to get as much drugs and alcohol as possible, then consumes it continuously until it is gone, a youth worker reported to the court.
The teen's problems started when he turned 13, just after he started going to high school, the judge heard. Before that, he was a good student who was doing well at home and in the world.
His parents suspected he found drugs shortly after he started high school. His marks fell and he started skipping school. He's been in trouble with authorities since. Marijuana and alcohol are his drugs of choice, but he's experimented with almost all the street drugs.
Defence lawyer Chris Thompson said the teen wants out of jail because he doesn't think being in prison will do him much good.
"He's a very bright boy, a very kind boy. He's at a real crossroads. These are very serious matters," Thompson said.
But Cleaveley said the circumstances overwhelmingly call for detention.
"Someone is going to get hurt, either him or someone else in the community," Cleaveley said.
The teen will be back in court Jan. 25.
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Cookie says... 
0Although I believe that a youth's behavior ultimately begins with the role and quality of his parents, we are not social workers involved in this case and we do not know the exact circumstances surrounding this youth's home life. You have to consider the fact that this boy's parents may not be fit to raise him and he may very well be better off going through the government system. Either way, I wouldn't feel comfortable releasing this boy to his parent's custody without some major psychological and emotional help following his actions and addictions.
Posted on December 31, 2009 @ 1:11 am PST | Report post to Editor | 3058423