Cork-based mother had to travel to Poland after ex-partner abducted their child, court hears

A Cork-based mother had to travel to Poland when her ex-partner abducted their child - and it was only with lawyers and the assistance of local police that she managed to get the child back to Ireland.

On an access day – where the mother was told he was bringing their son to Dublin Zoo – he flew with the child to Poland without any permission.

It emerged at an in camera hearing in Cork District Court that the woman had to engage a Polish solicitor and go to court in Poland so that she could bring her child back to Ireland.

In an effort to frustrate her search, the woman’s ex-partner had moved the child from his parents’ home in Poland and taken the child to a location some five hours drive away.

Now prosecuted in Cork he has pleaded guilty to abducting his son. 

The 40-year-old was sent forward for sentence at the present sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Evidence was given at a hearing in Cork District Court that the boy’s mother spent more than four months trying to get him back after the accused brought the child to Poland.

The accused cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of the child.

ARREST

The charge stated that he was responsible for the removal of his son from the care of his mother without her consent.

He admitted he did at Dublin Airport on 28th August 2021 take a child under the age 16 out of the country in defiance of a court order without the consent of the parent to whom custody was granted by the court – an offence under the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act.

Det Garda Cormac O’Bric arrested the accused at Cork Airport on Sunday, April 16, after he stepped off a flight from Poland.

The only access the defendant had was for six hours each Sunday and two hours for each of two evenings during the week or additionally with the mother’s consent.

It was only after a legal battle that the woman got her child back.

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said the man had come back to Cork voluntarily and notified gardaí.

Mr Buttimer said the man accepted he had wrongly taken the child to Poland because of a belief that the child would get better treatment for a developmental disability in Poland.

Judge Olann Kelleher said he would grant bail on strict conditions including that the man reside at an address in Cork, sign on daily at the local garda station, provide gardaí with a mobile phone no that they can contact him 24/7 and surrender all his travel documents and those of his child.

Judge Kelleher remanded the man on bail to appear at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for sentence on April 20.