Boy to undergo mental health assessment

22 Feb 2012, 1:09 pm   -   Source: AAP
Share This

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court after police found dog remains in a grassy area in Canberra.

A 16-year-old boy will undergo a mental health assessment after facing court over cruelty charges involving two dogs.

ACT Police allege the remains of the dogs, including a rottweiler and a cross-bred dog, were found in a grassy area near the boy's Northside home in Canberra on Tuesday.

They believe the dogs were set on fire and then dismembered.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in the ACT Children's Court on Wednesday charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal causing death.

Prosecutor Michael Clark told the court: "The young person may extend that harm to people."

Legal aid representative Michael Toole requested the boy be supervised at Marlow Cottage, a shelter for young people aged between 11 and 18, until his next court appearance.

However, Magistrate Karen Fryar said she didn't believe the boy would receive adequate supervision at the shelter.

"The facts of this matter are some of the most concerning I have seen for a long while," she said.

She ordered the boy to undergo a mental health assessment.

The boy was remanded in custody until March 9, to allow enough time for the assessment to be done.

Until then, bail would be refused.

The boy, whose mother was present in court, sat passively throughout the hearing.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube