Abused and neglected children to give victim impact statements in court
A Galway court will soon hear the victim impact Statements of seven children who were subjected to years of cruelty by their mother.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect their identities, used to abandon them for days and beat them with canes, wooden spoons and leather belts.
The eldest of the woman’s children is now 19.
She gave evidence via video link during the trial and described the abuse and neglect she experienced at the hands of her mother at various locations in the west between 2006 and 2011.
She recalled one incident when she used a bad word and her mother punished her by dragging her into the kitchen by her hair and grabbing her by the throat.
Five of her siblings gave evidence too. They described being beaten with wooden back scratchers, bamboo sticks and leather belts.
Her eldest son said his mother pushed him down the stairs on two occasions. He was hospitalised once after banging his head.
The children were taken into care in 2011 following an unannounced visit by social workers who found them being looked after by two men, one of whom was asleep in one of their beds. The other was drunk.
The 39-year-old was convicted on 29 of 42 charges in January, and her children will soon be given the opportunity to outline how her crimes have affected them.
