Dungannon: Teenage girl in court over attempted murder

The social worker was allegedly attacked at a house in Union Place in Dungannon

A 16-year-old girl has been charged with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed her social worker with a knife.

The woman was attacked at a house in Union Place in Dungannon, in County Tyrone, on Thursday.

The girl was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence.

The girl, who cannot be identified because of her age, came to northern Ireland on her own from London in June.

The court heard that she had gone missing from her Dungannon home and was being returned by police and her social worker after being found in Belfast when the attack happened.

The court was told that she had gone missing several times.

During proceedings, the court heard that the girl had gone into the kitchen of her house with her social worker and that her social worker was unpacking groceries when she was attacked. The girl is then alleged to have stabbed the woman in the back of the head with a knife.

A police officer told the court that the woman screamed and that she was then stabbed twice more to her body.

The victim was initially taken by ambulance to Craigavon Area Hospital but was then transferred to the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald where there is a plastic surgery unit.

She underwent extensive surgery yesterday and remains in hospital but is expected to be discharged in the coming days.

Police who were still at the scene arrested the teenager.

Dungannon court heard the girl is currently seeking asylum

The court heard that the girl had no documentation when she arrived in Dover last year and was currently seeking asylum.

Her identity has still not been fully confirmed and there are five different dates of birth and six variations of her age registered with the Home Office.

A police officer told the court she could connect the defendant to the charges and that the girl had accepted during questioning that she had used a knife in the attack but did not say why.

Her defence lawyer told the court that she had "expressed extreme remorse" at the injuries caused.

The court heard that no application for bail was made.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan described the entire circumstances as "deeply concerning", and remanded the girl into custody to appear again by video-link at Dungannon Youth Court later this month.

There was no bail application made and the girl remains in custody.