Woman accused of trying to abduct girl, 3, in Cork admits aggravated burglary

The trial had previously heard that when gardaí found the defendant, she had a scissors and a screwdriver

Rosemarie O’Sullivan pleaded guilty and asked if she could now be taken to Limerick Prison rather back to the Central Mental Hospital (pictured). Photo: Frank Miller

A 43-year-old woman who had been unfit to stand trial and remanded to the Central Mental Hospital for several months has now been declared fit to face the case and she has just pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated burglary.

The background to the charge is that the accused woman was caught allegedly trying to take a three-year-old girl from her mother after breaking into an apartment in Cork city.

Judge Helen Boyle said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: “I have received a letter from Professor Kennedy at the Central Mental Hospital where he states that the consultant psychiatrist she was seeing has found that she is now fit to be tried. Professor Kennedy – as the clinical director of the CMH – finds that she is no longer unfit to be tried.” 

Dr Ronan Mullaney diagnosed Rosemarie O’Sullivan – formerly of Ballybough Road, Dublin, and otherwise of no fixed address – with a mental disorder but she has shown since then a partial response to treatment with a number of medications, the judge noted.

Judge Boyle said the evidence before the court now is that the defendant is capable of making a proper defence. Defence senior counsel, Ray Boland, said in all those circumstances the defendant was now prepared to plead guilty to the count of aggravated burglary.

The particulars of the charge were that on March 9, 2020, at Lancaster Quay, Cork, she did commit a burglary and had with her at that time a scissors and screwdriver. Rosemarie O’Sullivan pleaded guilty to this charge and asked if she could now be taken to Limerick Prison rather back to the Central Mental Hospital.

Judge Boyle said she would be taken to prison pending sentence. The defendant was remanded in custody until February 24. Mr Boland SC said that no further reports on the matter were required by the defence.

Garda Anthony Garvey previously alleged that on March 9, 2020, at Lancaster Quay, off Western Road, Cork, a woman was in bed in her apartment with her three-year-old daughter and that the defendant allegedly 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 a scissors and a screwdriver,” Garda Garvey said.