A 39-year-old mother is to stand trial tomorrow, along with her former partner, charged with cruelty and neglect of four of her children.
The pair, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the children, pleaded not guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court this morning, to one sample charge of wilfully ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing one of the children, or causing or allowing the child to be ill-treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed, in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to the child at a Co. Galway location on September 1, 2006, contrary to section 246 (1) and (2) of the Children Act 2001.
A jury of nine men and three women was empanelled to hear evidence in the trial which is expected to last up to three weeks.
Mr Shane Costelloe SC, prosecuting, said the trial would start tomorrow (Wednesday) when both accused would be charged before the jury with several other similar offences.
He warned people in the packed courtoom, who had been summoned for jury service, that the trial would be held ‘in camera’ as it involved children and they could not identify those children, whose names were mentioned in court this morning, to anyone outside of the courtroom.
Judge Karen O’Connor reiterated this warning to the entire jury panel and added they could not, by law, identify the children or discuss anything they had heard in relation to the family, to anyone outside of the courtroom.
“The rights of the children have to be protected and are protected in law,” she warned.
Mr Conor Fahy BL, prosecuting, told the jury panel, witnesses to be called for the prosecution case included numerous HSE staff, teachers from a number of schools, addiction counsellors and numerous Gardai who had investigated the matters before the court.
Judge O’Connor sent the jury home and asked them to return tomorrow morning when the trial is expected to begin.
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