Court in Cork looking for psychiatric unit for woman accused of trying to abduct girl, 3

The woman, who is unfit to plead, is alleged to have tried to take the girl from her mother during a burglary in Cork.

The woman was remanded in custody at Limerick Prison for two more weeks. File photo: Dan Linehan

Enquiries are to be carried out on the availability of a suitable psychiatric residential unit for a 42-year-old woman who is unfit to plead in a case where she allegedly tried to take a three-year-old girl from her mother in a burglary.

Professor Gautam Gulati testified at Cork District Court in a case where Rosemarie O’Sullivan of Ballybough Road, Dublin, and otherwise of no fixed address, appeared by video link from prison at Cork District Court.

In the meantime, this woman was remanded in custody at Limerick Prison for two more weeks.

The doctor said that as of now, Rosemarie O’Sullivan is unfit to plead guilty or not guilty to the aggravated burglary charge.

“I have assessed her on a few occasions, most recently last week. 

It is my opinion she is not well and has a schizoaffective disorder.

“She is accepting some treatment in the prison. Ideally, she would receive treatment in a hospital setting,” Prof. Gulati said.

It is the doctor’s view that Rosemarie O’Sullivan’s condition would put her at the upper level of cases suitable for residential treatment at Carrigmore or the lower end of cases prioritised for the Central Mental Hospital.

Rosemarie O’Sullivan was remanded in custody for two weeks while approaches are made to Carrigmore and the CMH on whether a bed would be available for the accused. One issue in relation to Carrigmore is the lower level of security that does not offer the full custodial facility of the Central Mental Hospital.

“She would be at the upper end of what they can manage in Carrigmore.

“What I cannot guarantee is the availability of beds,” he said.

The doctor added that it would be involuntary care in that it was his view that she needed treatment to which she was not expected to consent. 

When the matter came to court initially, Garda Anthony Garvey objected to bail being granted to the accused on the charge of aggravated burglary.

The crime was allegedly committed on March 9 at Lancaster Quay, off Western Road, Cork, in the early hours of that morning.

Garda Garvey testified during the hearing that the woman was in bed in her apartment with her three-year-old daughter and that the defendant took the child from the bed.

“The injured party grabbed her child back. It is alleged that Rosemarie O’Sullivan tried to strike her with a scissors.

“When gardaí found her later she (the defendant) was in possession of scissors and a screwdriver,” Garda Garvey said.