Courts / Ireland / Report

Murder accused stepmother told gardai that boy was 'bold cheeky child', jury hears

Summary

In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, a woman in her 30s from the southwest of Ireland is accused of killing a four‑year‑old boy. The accused told Gardaí that the boy was a "bold cheeky child" and that she had kept him in his room, on the floor, for several days to hide bruising. On 13 March 2021, after the boy fell from a bunk bed, emergency services found him unconscious with multiple bruises of different colours. The prosecution argues that the boy's brain injury was caused by shaking and blunt force, not a fall. The accused pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. She had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting the child in January and March 2021. The trial is before Mr Justice Paul McDermott with a jury of four women and eight men.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Murder accused stepmother told gardai that boy was 'bold cheeky child', jury hears. Charges or matters: murder but guilty to the boy's manslaughter on March 16, 2021. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• 13 March 2021 Other
• March 13 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 16, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 13, 2021 Other
• March 9 Other
• February 23 Other
• September 2021 Incident
• March 12th Other
• January 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 5, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2025-11-05 Publication

Why: The boy's uncle would later tell gardai that he was supposed to do a video call every Sunday with his nephew but on most occasions he was told that he couldn't talk to the boy because he had been 'bold'. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report