AN ENNISKILLEN mother of three who absconded after being charged with child cruelty offences has been remanded in custody, although her partner who faces the same charges remains at large.
The pair were due to appear before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on 30 September but despite lodging a £400 cash surety neither turned up and Bench Warrants were issued.
Police were in the process of preparing International Arrest Warrants for both accused, neither of whom can be identified for legal reasons, when the woman handed herself into police in Enniskillen.
She was brought before Dungannon Magistrates Court, where she sat impassively in the dock listening to a detective constable outline the details of the case.
The detective said police were alerted by Social Services that the accused’s three children – aged five, four and three – were at risk of physical and emotional abuse.
The woman and her partner were known to Social Services at another address in Stranraer in Scotland, before moving to Enniskillen on 29 May.
Staff at the older two children’s school reported they had not been attending and neither were toilet trained. The eldest child could not spell her name or count past two.
In addition medical appointments, including with speech therapist, had not been kept.
Police called at the Enniskillen address on 12 August but the family had left and returned briefly to Scotland. The detective said the house was examined and locks were discovered on bedroom doors, and a number of soiled mattresses were located.
The family returned and police noted there were no child seats in the vehicle and the children were not restrained. It transpired the two adults and three children had slept in the car on a number of occasions.
The children were taken into care by Social Services at this point.
During questioning the woman stated she did not know there was a legal requirement to have car seats fitted for the children. She accepted locks had been fitted to bedroom doors but insisted this was for the children’s safety.
In respect of the school absences the woman claimed she and her partner had been “traveling about”. They had also taken the decision between themselves that their children did not require speech therapy and ignored the appointment notifications.
The detective said the accused and her partner appear to keep moving about and there are numerous addresses on record including Lincoln, Dublin, Sligo, Galway, Stranraer and the current Enniskillen residence.
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A defence solicitor told the court her client would not be applying for bail at this time, to which District Judge John Meehan replied, “That’s very wise.”
The accused was remanded in custody to appear at Enniskillen Magistrates Court by video-link later in the month.
The detective confirmed the International Arrest Warrant will be issued for the co-accused, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
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