Aisling Brady McCarthy ‘overwhelmed’ to be freed

Irish nanny Aisling Brady McCarthy has returned to Ireland after US prosecutors dropped a murder charge against her linked to the death of a one-year-old girl.

Ms McCarthy, from Co Cavan, arrived at Shannon Airport at 6.15am Wednesday morning on an Aer Lingus flight from Boston. She was accompanied by her sister.

She was escorted through the arrivals hall by three airport police and an airport staff member.

Asked if she was glad to be home, Ms McCarthy replied: “Yes”, before breaking down in tears. She got into a car outside the airport terminal and is believed to have headed to Co Cork afterwards.

The 37-year-old presented herself to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Burlington, Massachusetts on Tuesday having been cleared in her legal case on Monday.

She was placed in federal custody, pending her deportation.

Ms McCarthy had been charged in the 2013 death of Rehma Sabir, of Cambridge.

The charge was dropped after a medical examiner’s office revised its original homicide ruling.

The office determined the baby had a possibly undiagnosed condition that made her prone to bleeding and may have contributed to her death.

Ms McCarthy’s deportation was expedited at her request.

In an interview with the Boston Herald, Ms McCarthy said she was "overwhelmed" to be freed and that her "worst nightmare is finally over" after three years.

She alleged that what prosecutors had done to her in connection with the casewas “scandalous”.

“They should be ashamed of themselves. The police and (Dr) Alice Newton, they just decided right away that I had killed the child. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I loved her and cared for her, 10 hours a day, five days a week. I would take her everywhere on day trips,” Ms McCarthy told the newspaper.

She the parents of other children she had minded had provided a steady stream of love and support while she was imprisoned.

“They would come every week to visit me,” Ms McCarthy said. “The kids would bring me drawings and little gifts. They were a huge source of support and comfort to me. And they assured me that they would be there, to testify on my behalf when the trial came.”