Portlaoise Family Law Court: Pair charged with child cruelty and child exploitation
Portlaoise Courthouse
A 31-year old woman and 44-year old man appeared at the Family Law Court in Portlaoise on charges of child cruelty.
Detective Garda Conor Egan said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed that both defendants, with addresses in Laois, should be sent for trial on indictment and asked for time to prepare a book of evidence in both cases.
The woman is charged with four counts of child cruelty, two counts of child exploitation, three counts of assaulting a child and with the robbery of a set of car keys and a dashcam, all on 23 September last year.
The man is charged with the same offences on the same date and in the same location in Laois as well as an alleged criminal damage charge on 24 September.
Det. Egan said that the assault cases and the robbery will remain at district court level while the DPP will consider sending the defendants forward to the circuit court.
Regarding the most serious of the alleged offences, Judge Andrew Cody remanded both of the accused on continuing bail to 6 March to allow time for the DPP to prepare books of evidence.
In respect of the alleged assaults and robbery charges, he adjourned these to the 8 September sitting of Portlaoise District Court.
