Mother on trial accused of cruelty and neglect in Galway

A 39-year-old mother has gone on trial charged with cruelty and neglect of eight of her children over a six-year period.

The woman, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the children, who are aged between 5 and 18, pleaded not guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to 44 charges of child cruelty on dates between September 1, 2006, and May 12, 2011, contrary to section 246 (1) and (2) of the Children Act 2001.

Shane Costello, prosecuting, said the woman’s former partner had decided not to contest the trial and he advised the jury they need not be concerned about him for the rest of the trial.