Five-week-old baby rescued from arms of drunken mother

A FIVE-WEEK-OLD baby who cried hysterically had to be rescued from the arms of his drunken mother and yesterday the woman was given a suspended jail sentence for being drunk and in charge of a child.

Garda Colin Crowley encountered the distressing scene at Lapps Quay, Cork.

Catherine Daly, 30, was drinking in the area in the company of five other people who were also drinking on the street.

Garda Crowley’s attention was drawn to the group as a baby in Daly’s arms was crying hysterically and Daly was clearly drunk at the time. Garda Crowley took the infant from her at the time of this incident on March 28.

In Cork District Court yesterday, Daly who is originally from Glenamoy Lawn in Mayfield, Cork, and now living with the Simon Community, pleaded guilty to the charge of being drunk and a source of danger to herself or others and being drunk and in charge of a child under the age of seven years.

She also admitted being threatening and abusive. This charge arose out of her behaviour towards Garda Crowley when he approached her.

Judge Uinsin MacGruairc took two of the charges into consideration and imposed a one month term of imprisonment on the charge of being drunk and in charge of a child. He suspended that sentence on condition that she would keep the peace and abstain from alcohol for 12 months.

Defence solicitor, Donal Daly, said the defendant had a difficult background involving serious abuse of alcohol.

He said that she had made efforts to rehabilitate herself. He said the defendant’s children were now being minded by the defendant’s mother Catherine Daly moved out of home and into the Simon Community so that her children would not be exposed to her abuse of alcohol.

The defendant also came to the attention of the gardaí on August 31 at MacCurtain Street where she was drunk and assaulted Garda Diarmuid O’Brien.