An Irish police officer has told the court that a three-year-old boy was found shivering in a cabin, at the back of a derelict house in Cork city.
A police officer told Cork District Court that a three-year-old boy was found in a cabin shivering while his mother and her partner were taking heroin, the Irish Examiner reports.
Garda (Irish police officer) Alison O’Flynn told the court that she had been for the child and his sister after relatives of their mother had notified her that they had not seen the children in months and were concerned about their welfare.
Garda Judith Notley testified that she found the young boy on November 24, 2017. She told the court the boy was visibly shivering and that the cabin was surrounded by piles of rubbish and builders' rubble. There was no electricity, heating, or running water in the cabin. Tinfoil and needles (drug-taking paraphernalia) were also found.
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The Irish Examiner reported that she testified "I initially observed [child’s name]. He was shivering.
"He was very cold. No shoes, no socks on his feet. He was wearing a very light jumper. His pants were heavily soiled.
"He was in serious and immediate danger. His guardians neglected to keep proper care of him. I placed him in the rear of the patrol car due to my concerns and my observations. He was highly aggressive and very distressed. He was three at the time."
Presiding Judge Colm Roberts said it spoke volumes that the women and partner had been provided with money for accommodation, in Cork, but were keeping the cash to travel to Dublin and purchase more drugs.
The mother's lawyer, Joseph Cuddigan, said the mother's reason for pleading not guilty was that she had requested that the child be taken from her repeatedly. This did not happen until Officer Notley discovered the boy.
The parties involved in this case cannot be identified under Ireland's legal restrictions imposed by The Children’s Act.
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