A woman has been jailed for two years after neglecting her nine-year-old daughter so badly that the starving child was forced to eat fish food.
According to the Irish Mirror, the Lithuanian mother (now 53), who can’t be named in order to protect the child’s identity, abandoned the little girl for four days while she went on a booze binge.
In her victim impact statement, the girl, now aged 13, said she was often lonely and scared and had once resorted to eating fish food because she was so hungry.
A neighbour eventually became concerned and took her in to his home.
“When his partner bathed her in water it turned dark. She had severe head lice and scabbing all over her head. When the neighbour made food she ate it like a savage. The child smelt badly and had bags under eyes and looked very unwell,” said counsel.
When the couple called the local school, teachers confirmed the child had not been in class for a fortnight and the HSE was made aware of the situation. A teacher later visited the child’s home accompanied by the Gardaí. They found the house in disarray, with dirty dishes piled up in the sink and rubbish overflowing from the bin.
Appearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal court, the woman, who has an alcohol addiction, plead guilty to child cruelty between October 10 2012 and December 13 2012.
Judge Patrick McCartan said the plight of the child, now aged 13, left him ‘heartbroken’.
