Dublin woman gets suspended sentence for child neglect

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

An unnamed Dublin woman received a fully suspended sentence for child neglect at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 23 April 2024. The proceedings were reported on 23 April 2024.

The woman had pleaded guilty to one count of child neglect on dates between 2013 and 2018, when her daughter was aged nine to 15. The court heard the girl was hospitalised twice after severe head lice left her hair badly matted; the infestation took weeks to untangle.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence, suspended in full. He said the mother had breached her obligation to care for her child, describing the neglect as cruelty by omission. He also said he believed she was not a bad person but was unable to cope at the time.