A Dublin woman who falsely claimed that a newborn baby was concealed in Ballymun flat was today told to seek treatment.
Ann Lynch (37), with addresses at Fortlawn Avenue and Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown, had pleaded guilty on two counts of making hoax phone calls on October 28th, 2003 which prompted a major Garda search for a newborn baby.
Judge Yvonne Murphy adjourned sentencing for one year, remanding Ms Lynch on continuing bail.
Ms Lynch was told she must attend treatment and support for her disorder, which resulted in her making a series of nuisance calls to Garda stations.
She was also told to continue getting mental health treatment and inform a probation officer of any change of address.
On a previous occasion, Ms Lynch had told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that she had made the calls out of loneliness and she was suffering from depression.
The court had heard that the gardaí had been alerted after another woman had contacted their Samaritans Helpline in relation to the abandonment of a baby in a Ballymun flat on October 27th, 2003.
However, Ms Lynch then made a series of phone calls to the station which exacerbated the ongoing search. She called around six times on October 28th, 2003, in a distraught state, crying and saying she was in a towerblock in Ballymun with the newborn baby, who was not breathing.
The court had heard that gardaí searched 3000 dwellings in the towers including 750 boarded-up and vacant flats over three days at an estimated cost of €75,000.
Judge Murphy said if Ms Lynch's progress continued she would consider giving a suspended sentence next July. However, the judge said any suspended sentence would be lengthy due to the nature of the offence and the amount of time wasted.
Ms Lynch was charged with making a false report to gardaí under the Criminal Law Act. She was also charged with making a telephone call that she knew to be false contrary to Section 13(1) of the Post Office (Amendment) Act.
Before the calls in relation to the search for the baby, the court heard Ms Lynch had made around 104 nuisance calls to Santry Garda Station between July 18th and 19th 2002 and was charged with using the telephone system to cause annoyance.
Judge Murphy said Ms Lynch must not come to the attention of gardaí between now and next July, when she must appear before the court in person for sentencing.
PA