'My heart went to pieces,' says woman whose son was abducted in Cork by ex-partner

The mother was told the boy's father was bringing their son to Dublin Zoo, instead the defendant flew with the child to Poland without any permission

Judge Catherine Staines imposed a two-year sentence on the boy’s father with the last 18 months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. File picture

A man pretending to be taking his Cork-based child on a visit to Dublin Zoo instead abducted the boy and brought him back to Poland without the mother’s knowledge or consent.

Judge Catherine Staines imposed a two-year sentence on the boy’s father with the last 18 months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The judge said the accused had to serve some period in custody. The 40-year-old cannot be named as it would lead to identification of the child and this is legally protected in a case such as this.

The child’s mother said in her victim impact statement: “I was in shock. I could not believe it. My heart went to pieces. I felt like I was dying every day.

“I still have fear and worry he will do this again. Since I got him back (after more than four months) I have not let him out of my sight. He is glued to me. If I was putting out rubbish at dinnertime he would get up from the table and follow me. School is the only place he would go without me.” 

She said her son was too young to understand how it happened and was left wondering how his mother let it happen even though she had nothing to do with her ex-partner’s actions.

Defence barrister, Emmet Boyle, said: “He thought unilaterally — without consulting with the mum.” He added that the defendant believed that his child would get better treatment in Poland for a condition which he has.

Sergeant Kieran Crowley testified that on an access day for the father — where the mother was told he was bringing their son to Dublin Zoo — the defendant flew with the child to Poland without any permission. The woman had to engage a Polish solicitor and go to court in Poland so that she could bring her child back to Ireland.

In an effort to frustrate her search, the woman’s ex-partner had moved the child from his parents’ home in Poland and taken the child to a location some five hours' drive away. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to abducting his son.

The boy’s mother spent more than four months trying to get him back after the accused brought the child to Poland. The charge stated that he was responsible for the removal of his son from the care of his mother without her consent.

He admitted he did at Dublin Airport on August 28, 2021, take a child under the age 16 out of the country in defiance of a court order without the consent of the parent to whom custody was granted by the court — an offence under the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act. He was arrested on April 16, after he stepped off a flight from Poland.

The only access the defendant had was for six hours each Sunday and two hours for each of two evenings during the week or additionally with the mother’s consent. It was only after a legal battle that the woman got her child back.