Cork woman jailed for child neglect and sexual abuse

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

The unnamed Cork woman was jailed for neglect and sexual abuse of her toddler son by the Court of Appeal on 29 July 2024, receiving three years with no part suspended.

She had been convicted of wilful neglect, sexual assault and sexual exploitation; the Court of Appeal dismissed her conviction appeal in May 2024 before considering the Director of Public Prosecutions’ sentence appeal.

The appeal court quashed the fully suspended sentence as unduly lenient and imposed concurrent three-year terms for sexual assault and sexual exploitation, plus one year for child cruelty, also concurrent and accounting for time already spent in prison. The court said no part would be suspended.

The report describes the boy’s severe developmental and daily living difficulties when he entered foster care, and says he remains in State care.