Court rejects appeal by Cork mother who harassed doctor

In November last year, Marlies Walsh pleaded guilty to harassing the doctor in 2018 and 2019 and was given a fully-suspended two-year sentence

Marlies Walsh pleaded guilty to one count of harassment at Temple Street Hospital, Dublin. She had no previous convictions. Picture: Collins Courts

The Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by a mother to set aside her plea of guilty to the repeated harassment of a doctor who was working at the hospital where her son was awaiting a kidney transplant.

Marlies Walsh, representing herself at the three-judge court, argued that she was given ineffective assistance by her lawyers and was under duress when she entered the guilty plea as she had to prioritise her son's care. She also argued that the investigation into her offending was flawed because no recording was made of an interview she gave to gardaí.