Mother weeps in court as dead son’s identification ban remains in place

David Raleigh

A mother wept in Limerick District Court on Tuesday as she heard that a court order which prohibits the identification of her dead son, and two people charged in connection with his alleged murder, remains in force.

Gardaí have charged the boy’s father’s girlfriend with his murder and with child cruelty.

The boy’s father has been charged with assisting the woman, as well as child endangerment and child cruelty.

The boy’s mother is not suspected of having any involvement with her son’s death.

On Tuesday the accused woman appeared before the court via video link from a prison where she is being held on remand.

The accused woman consented to being held in continuing custody for a further four weeks to allow investigating Gardai time to finalise a Book of Evidence.

Gardaí indicated that the book would be ready to be served on the accused woman “in December”.

The accused woman’s solicitor said that an order prohibiting the parties being named was in place due to there being “a minor” involved in the proceedings.

Restrictions

Judge Carol Anne Coolican, presiding, said the “reporting restrictions are to remain in place under Section 252 of the Children’s Act”.

The boy’s mother, who has previously publicly called for the reporting restrictions to be lifted, so she can identify her dead son in public forums, wept in the public gallery of the court and said “he is my child”.

Reporting restrictions were not sought when the accused pair were initially charged before the court last month, however, after Judge Coolican enquired at a later subsequent hearing if there were any reporting restrictions, the accused woman’s solicitor sought further instructions on behalf of her client and then successfully applied for the ban on identifying parties.

The alleged victim was found with serious head injuries at a house in 2021 and died in hospital three days later.

On Tuesday the accused woman was remanded in continuing custody to appear before the court for service of the Book of Evidence on December 6th.

The boy’s father has been remanded on continuing bail to appear before the court on the same date.