Gardaí question woman over false calls

Gardaí are tonight questioning a woman about allegedly wasting their time in connection with a series of telephone calls which sparked a widespread search for a non-existent baby earlier this week.

The 33-year-old mother of five children was arrested in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and being held at the town’s police station.

Earlier, officers established that calls received earlier this week, reporting that a new-born baby had been abandoned by the infant’s teenage mother in a disused flat in Dublin, were not genuine.

The calls to helplines and the gardaí were made over three days, and were initially taken seriously by gardaí, with dozens of officers getting involved in search operations.

Last night, though, it was confirmed that the calls had been bogus.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell tonight praised the gardaí for their efforts and professionalism in dealing with the matter.

He said that while everyone was relieved there was no abandoned baby – the efforts of the many officers caught up in the search would further raise the esteem of their force.