Creche fined €1k after child was ‘rough handled’

A Dublin creche has been fined €1,000 and allowed to stay open after a staff member was secretly filmed “rough-handling” and shouting at children.

The Links Creche and Montessori Ltd, at Abington Wood, Swords Road, Malahide, Co Dublin, and its director Deirdre Kelly, from Saint Olaves, Kinsealy, Co Dublin had been investigated for breaking the Childcare Act and pre-school services regulations.

The prosecution was brought by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency as a result of the expose Breach of Trust, by RTÉ’s investigations unit, which aired in 2013. RTÉ provided the agency with 40 hours of footage filmed by an undercover reporter. A two-day hearing was scheduled to take place later this month. However, all charges against Ms Kelly were dropped at Dublin District Court yesterday.