Boy in abuse case 'shielded food given to him'

The foster mother of a young boy has told a jury that when he was brought to her home he was wearing clothes two sizes too small and covered his food with his hands when eating as if to stop someone taking it.

The foster mother of a young boy has told a jury today that when he was brought to her home he was wearing clothes two sizes too small and that he covered his food with his hands when eating as if to stop someone taking it.

The woman was giving evidence at the trial of the boy’s father who is accused of sexual and physical abuse as well as failing to provide his five children with adequate food and clothing in the family home.

The accused man, who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the rape and sexual assault of his now 10-year-old daughter and the sexual assault of his now 13-year-old son on dates in 2007.

He also pleaded not guilty to the wilful assault of his three sons in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering, injury to the children’s health or seriously effect their well-being on dates between January and September 2007.

He further denied the wilful neglect of all five children, now aged between seven and 14 years old, by failing to provide adequate clothing or food.

The now 13-year-old boy’s foster mother told Ms Isobel Kennedy SC (with Ms Orla Crowe BL), prosecuting, that the boy came to stay with her in September 2007 aged 10-years-old. She said he arrived accompanied by two social workers and she noticed that he was small and very dirty.

She said the trousers he was wearing were too short, coming half way up his legs, and his top was two sizes too small. She said his runners were dirty and full of holes, he had no socks and no underwear.

She said he was quite hungry upon arrival so she quickly made him some chicken nuggets and chips. She said when she put the plate on the table he put his hands over it “as if someone was going to take it from him”.

The woman said she went out and bought clothes for the boy and got him to take a shower. She said he could not understand that he had to shower and change his underwear every day.

She said it was discovered within a few weeks that the boy could not spell and was only able to read very basic words.

She told Ms Kennedy that the boy “was actually quite a bright child” and when given encouragement he was eager to learn and loved to get praise for getting his spelling and maths right.

The woman agreed with defence counsel, Mr Blaise O’Carroll SC (with Kieran Kelly BL), during cross examination that arrangements were made with the boy’s mother to get more of his clothes delivered for him but she said that when they arrived they were all too small for him.

She told Mr O’Carroll that the boy used to speak of his father “with excitement”. She said he told how his father used go take him on motor cross bikes and how he could jump out of cars as they were moving.

She said: “It was the excitement of things he was allowed to do when he was with his Dad.”

The now 13-year-old boy told Ms Kennedy that his father kicked and punched him with his fists and also used shoes and belts to hit him. He said he was hit “everywhere really” with the belt but particularly on his back.

He said he did not recall anything else happening to him in the house which upset him.

He told Mr O’Carroll during cross examination that the family were “kind of” happy. When asked if he felt loved by his mother the boy replied “yes” and when asked if he loved his father he replied “no”.

He said on a normal day he would have “Kellogg's” for his breakfast which his mum got ready and then his dad went off to work. He said that if he was hungry at lunchtime he would come in and make a sandwich. He agreed that he could make tea and coffee for himself and that coffee sometimes made him “hyper”.

He said he would go home in the evenings when he was hungry and said “there would be food on the table”.

He agreed he had clothes and some were for special occasions. He said he liked shorts and short sleeved tops.

The boy said his dad was “good” at giving him toys and agreed he had a PlayStation in his room. He agreed his dad gave him a bicycle and that his dad took him for spins on a motor cross bike which he enjoyed.

Mr O’Carroll told the boy that it was his father’s case that he hit him in the context of him and his brother being bold and his father was reprimanding him.

The now seven-year-old youngest child told Ms Kennedy that she had shared a bedroom with her sister when she lived with her parents. She said her brothers and her parents also lived in the house and she was aged four at the time.

She agreed with Mr O’Carroll during cross examination that she had some toys at the house and said there were three televisions.

She said when she was hungry she just went and got something to eat. She said her father did not work and but he “used to go shopping and rob stuff, beer and all”.

She agreed she had her own clothes and some for special occasions.

She claimed that she had been put out in the rain in a cot when she was a baby when she cried while her parents were “sexing”.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne and five men and seven women.