The jury in the trial of a mother accused of cruelty to her children is listening back to the evidence of some of her alleged victims.
The woman, who can’t be named to protect her children’s identities, is facing over 40 charges of cruelty and neglect at various addresses in the west.
The allegations levelled against the woman range from beatings with wooden spoons and belts to leaving the children for days at a time and washing their mouths out with fairy liquid.
Two of her sons claim they had to jump out of the way of her car one day after she threw them out for spilling ice-cream in the back seat.
The alleged offences happened over a five year period that led to the children being taken into care in May 2011.
On the day social services arrived at their home unannounced, the children were being looked after by two strangers.
The court heard there was no food in the house and one of her young daughters was minding a toddler and a baby.
The woman claims her children are lying, and the jurors have been asked to consider whether the defence of “reasonable chastisement” applies.
After two hours of deliberating yesterday, they asked for the evidence of some of her children to be played over to them before they
continue to consider a verdict.
