Mother’s trial over child cruelty collapses in Galway

The trial of a 39-year-old mother, who faces charges of cruelty and neglect towards eight of her children over a six-year period, collapsed yesterday due to technical difficulties at Galway courthouse.

It was discovered late on Wednesday evening that a live video link facility, which was used to allow a child to give evidence from another room in the courthouse that afternoon, was not recording her evidence to the trial.

Judge Karen O’Connor explained to the jury yesterday morning that by law evidence heard by video-link “shall” be recorded, but unfortunately, in this case, she said, this did not occur in relation to the girl’s evidence on Wednesday afternoon.