Tusla withdraws age inquiry into Somali accused of murdering Ukrainian teenager

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Tusla withdrew its District Court application to have a young Somali it had accommodated with children declared an adult, the Irish Times reported on June 24. He is charged with murdering 17-year-old Vadym Davydenko in Donaghmede in October. Gardaí believe the accused was an adult when Davydenko died, but the charge remains an allegation.

Earlier in June, a judge criticised Tusla’s effort to have him declared an adult shortly before his 18th birthday, calling the application “absolutely farcical”. The age inquiry was due to continue on June 10 and 18; the court was told he would turn 18 on June 20 according to the dates he had supplied. The Irish Times later reported that Tusla withdrew the application, but the supplied reports do not give a ruling on his age or any outcome in the murder case.