A mother who did heroin with her partner in front of her three-year-old son in a cabin at the back of a derelict house claims that she had asked the State to take the child from her.
At a sitting of Cork District Court today, where a case of child neglect had been deemed proven, Joseph Cuddigan, defence solicitor, said his client had asked social services for help.
"She says she sought the assistance of the social worker, and they were aware a drug situation was ongoing and the child was left with her," he said.
Mr Cuddigan previously told the court that his client had claimed that she had repeatedly asked the State to take the child from her.
Charge of neglect
The court heard that the child was not taken from his mother until a garda found him in distressing circumstances in Cork in November 2017.
In December of last year the woman had contested a charge of child neglect taken against her.
The court then heard that the defendant had been allocated money for accommodation in Cork but was keeping it for heroin.
Garda Judith Notley told the court that she found the boy with his mother and the mother's partner, who was not his father, in a cabin at the back of a derelict house in Cork on November 24th, 2017.
She said the cabin had no electricity, heating or running water and was surrounded by rubbish and builders' rubble.
Shivering
She stated the child had no shoes and socks on his feet and was wearing very light clothes. He was shivering and his pants were soiled.
Garda Notley noted that there was water spurting on to open wires in the cabin. Tinfoil and needles were found around the cabin. The child was taken in to care.
The woman told the court that she was only in the cabin for the night. She spoke of her intention to go in to residential treatment and her hope of being reunited with her children as she is now off drugs.
Judge Colm Roberts found the facts proven.
Rehab
The woman thanked gardaí for intervening and arranging care for her child who was found in the cabin and another child of hers who was not with her at the time of the offence.
“I want to thank the guards for taking them into care. I was trying to get them into care. If I thought the guards could take them into care I would have taken them to the guards myself.”
Today the case was again before Cork District Court for sentencing. It was adjourned for mention until April 14th next.
Mr Cuddigan said his client was currently at a rehabilitation facility with her treatment expected to last until late April.
Judge Marian O'Leary directed that the woman's psychiatric records be released over the coming weeks. Mr Cuddigan said that he had applied for same but had not received the required documentation from a psychiatric hospital which his client had attended.
The case will be finalised in May.
