Waterford mother charged with son's death remanded for further 14 days

Judge told the court the woman was not in a position to appear before the courts on Tuesday

Matthew Healy was was found dead in a car in Waterford on February 9.

Ruth Purcell Healy, the Waterford woman charged with the murder of her son, has been remanded in custody in Limerick Prison for a further 14 days.

The 37-year-old has been charged with the murder of six-year-old Matthew Healy. She was due to appear before Waterford District Court on Tuesday, via videolink.

Ms Purcell's solicitor, Ken Cunningham, said she had been remanded in absentio, pending preparation of a book of evidence.

Matthew Healy was found unresponsive in a car in the Rathmoylan area of Dunmore East, Co Waterford, on February 9.

His mother was arrested and charged on suspicion of his murder on February 13.

Following a message from Limerick Prison, Judge Kevin Staunton told the court the woman was not in a position to appear before the courts on Tuesday, a decision which he said the court respected.

Following an enquiry from Judge Staunton on the status of a High Court bail application, Mr Cunningham said an application for bail had not yet been made.

However, he said any application for bail would be dependent on his client's capacity to appear before the courts.

The 37-year-old was remanded for a further two weeks, scheduled to appear via videolink on March 5.