A 30-yr-old man who abandoned a baby alone in a vehicle in order to flee from gardaí has appeared before Tullamore District Court for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to child cruelty and a number of related offences.
The court heard that on 9 August 2025, the man had been travelling with the child’s mother, the infant, and another woman to an apartment in a Midlands town. A party took place at the apartment during which cocaine was consumed and alcohol was drunk, while the baby was put to bed at around 8pm, reports RTE.
The following morning, an argument broke out between the child’s mother and the other woman present, during which the child’s mother threw glasses and a candle at the other woman. The group then left the apartment and became involved in a further incident in which the man made off from a filling station without paying for diesel. When gardaí attempted to intercept the vehicle, the man abandoned the car — leaving the baby alone inside — and fled on foot.
The court heard that the man was eventually apprehended. He pleaded guilty to child cruelty, the unauthorised use of a vehicle, and making off from a service station without paying for fuel, reports RTE.
Prosecution counsel Shane Geraghty BL told the court that the maximum penalty for a child cruelty offence is seven years’ imprisonment. Judge Ronan Munro adjourned the finalisation of sentencing for the most recent offences until 18 November and ordered that probation and prison governor’s reports be prepared in advance.
The child’s mother, who was also before the court as a co-accused, had previously entered guilty pleas to car theft and ill-treating a child. A probation report was also ordered in her case ahead of sentencing on 18 November, reports RTE.
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