Stepmother pleads guilty to murder of four-year-old stepson; sentencing adjourned

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

A woman in her 30s has pleaded guilty to murdering her four-year-old stepson. She had initially pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter, but changed her plea on the fourth day of her trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Her sentencing hearing was adjourned until January 12 after the court was told the boy’s mother was ill and extremely anxious to attend when sentence is imposed. The accused cannot be identified under a court order protecting a child witness.