A 30-year-old Enniskillen mother who burned her two-year-old son with boiling water after hurling a kettle in a fit of rage then lied to hospital staff about how he sustained the injuries, a court has heard.
The Fermanagh mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her son, admitted to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when she appeared before Dungannon Crown Court.
The court heard how she brought her injured child to the South West Acute Hospital last year and told staff she had been holding her young son in one arm and a kettle containing boiled water in the other.
She alleged that she dropped the lidless kettle as she placed the toddler on the ground and the boiling water landed on him.
However, it wasn’t until the boy returned to nursery that the true events surrounding the incident were known.
On November 20, 2013, Social Services reported to police that the victim had attended the nursery with his step-father. He told staff that had that child not been at nursery as he had suffered burns to his legs and had been treated at the Accident & Emergency department.
On December 12, Social Services carried out a home visit where she took full responsibility for what happened.
During this meeting her partner stated that on the day of the incident the child had been playing with a Christmas ornament and broke it. His mother swiped the recently boiled kettle in a fit of rage while the injured party had been playing on the kitchen floor.
She admitted to throwing the kettle after having an argument with her partner and claimed she thought the child was playing in the living room and was not aware he was in the kitchen.
The woman pleaded guilty to the charge saying it was recklessness and that she didn’t meant to cause the child any harm.
Defence barrister Stephen Mooney said she “acted on impulse and anger”.
“She lost her temper and it resulted in the injury of her child and she has to live with that for the rest of her life,” he said.
“Social services became involved again with her family and at no stage were the children taken from the family.
“This is a world apart from a deliberate act and I accept the injuries are a nasty one.
“She didn’t tell the whole truth to the doctor, it was a drip feed of what happened after that and she then told the social worker and she was remorseful for what happened.
“She has to carry the personal stigma of causing hurt to her child.”
Crown Judge Ms McReynolds stated that the toddler was treated to one per cent burns to his lower abdomen and burns to his upper thigh and was subsequently referred to the burns unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital, but neither hospital referred the incident to social services.
“You have a very good work record but it’s clear you had a difficult childhood and have very poor detachment skills.
Children deserved to be nurtured and not be forgotten when a parent becomes enraged.
“When you failed to notice the toddler when hurling the kettle, such rage is indicative of extreme lack of control or empathy for your own child.”
She deferred sentencing for a further six months and adjourned the case until April 23 next year.
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