Courts / Cork / Report
Woman who received suspended sentence for neglect and sexual abuse of toddler son launches bid to overturn conviction
Summary
In March 2024 a Cork woman, aged 46, who had received a fully suspended three‑year sentence for wilful neglect, sexual assault and exploitation of her toddler son, filed an appeal to overturn her conviction. The Central Criminal Court heard that the defendant, described as having very limited cognitive functioning, did not accept the jury's verdicts. She was found guilty of neglecting the child from September 2010 to June 2015, and of sexual assault and exploitation between September 2013 and June 2015. The child, who was between one and four‑and‑a‑half years old, was taken into foster care and later State institutional care. The appeal argued that the child cruelty charge was couched in generalised terms, that the trial judge erred in refusing to edit emotive Garda interviews, and that the child's evidence was unreliable due to memory loss. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman who received suspended sentence for neglect and sexual abuse of toddler son launches bid to overturn conviction. Charges or matters: all charges and has appealed the convictions. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 2022 Incident
- September 2010 Incident
- June 2015 Incident
- September 2013 Incident
- December 2022 Incident
- May 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-03-14 Publication
Why: The Cork native (46), who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victim, was convicted by a jury in June 2022 of wilful neglect of the child between September 2010 to June 2015 – when the boy was between one and four-and-a-half years old. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: all charges and has appealed the convictions (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: A woman who received a fully suspended sentence for the neglect, sexual assault and exploitation of her own toddler son has launched a bid to overturn her conviction. Ms Justice O'Connor sentenced the woman to three years' imprisonment, backdating it by six-and-a-half months for time already served in custody.
Places mentioned
Topics
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