A 38 year old woman has walked free form court despite pleading guilty to the neglect and ill treatment of her seven children for almost a decade.
Judge Carroll Moran imposed a suspended jail term on the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, despite stating that she had committed an ‘unnatural’ crime.
The woman at the centre of this case pleaded guilty to the neglect and ill-treatment of the five girls and two boys over a nine year period to July 2010.
The children are now aged from four to 17
The eldest described her mother as ‘vermin’, ‘cruel and evil’ – telling the court her mother, along with her former partner, used to go drinking daily, leaving no food and warning that if they spoke out – social workers would take them away and burn down the house.
Reports from the HSE and Probation Service found abuse of alcohol contributed to the neglect, though Judge Carroll Moran said both reports stressed the view that alcohol alone was not responsible for what happened.
On hearing the woman hasn’t drank for five years, and her guilty plea, Judge Moran opted not to impose an ‘immediate’ jail term.
He sentenced the 38-year old to four years in prison but suspended the term for seven years. Her former partner has also pleaded guilty to the neglect of the children and will be sentenced at a later date.
