Woman jailed for scalding son and falsely imprisoning social worker

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

A woman was sentenced on 6 October 2022 to nine years in prison, with the final two years suspended, after pouring boiling water over her 20-month-old son and falsely imprisoning a social care worker. The proceedings were reported on 6 October 2022.

She pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to one of her sons, producing a large kitchen knife in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person, and falsely imprisoning a social care worker. She had originally faced two attempted murder charges, which were later dropped. She cannot be identified to protect her children’s anonymity.

Mr Justice David Keane imposed concurrent nine-year sentences for assault causing serious harm and false imprisonment, and a two-year sentence for producing the knife. He suspended the final two years of the sentence and backdated it to October 2019, when the woman first went into custody.

The incident took place at her home on 9 October 2019 during a supervised visit with her sons. The injured boy suffered severe burns over 18 per cent of his body and was left with permanent, disfiguring scars. The social care worker brought both boys to safety; the judge commended her presence of mind and courage.

The judge accepted that the woman had a mental disorder at the time, although it did not meet the threshold for an insanity defence. He said mental illness could reduce culpability even when an offender acted deliberately. In mitigation, he considered her guilty plea, apology and the difficulties prison would present for her, including because of her depressive disorder and social isolation.