A man described as “father of the year” by his wife has had a charge of wilfully neglecting his two-year-old toddler struck out by a judge.
During the trial, gardaí alleged that the man was drunk and abusive when they brought his child to the family home after the toddler ran out in front of the Garda patrol car. The 32-year-old father of three, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the wilful neglect of a child on March 20th, 2011.
Judge Petria McDonnell ruled that the evidence in the case was “tenuous at best” and directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty.
The court heard how the child had been left by his mother in the front garden along with other children, including his 11-year-old brother, and that the child’s father was inside the house.
The mother of the child described her husband as a “fantastic father” who deserved to get a “father of the year” award.