The parents of seven children appeared in court yesterday charged with years of neglect and ill-treatment likely to cause their children unnecessary suffering.
At Ennis District Court, the two – who cannot be named for legal reasons – were charged in connection with the alleged neglect of five girls and two boys at different periods over nine years from March 2001 to July 2010. Garda Róisín Ní Chatháin said the man said, “I can’t make any sense of it”, to the first neglect charge and did not respond when cautioned on the remaining seven charges. (There are eight neglect charges in total; two relate to one child.) Garda Deirdre Browne said the mother made no reply when charged. The father also faces two sexual assault counts against one girl between July 9th, 2004, and June 5th, 2005. Judge Patrick Durcan remanded the two to appear before Ennis District Court on September 12th next.