Mother guilty of assaulting child for being late for school

A MOTHER was found guilty of assaulting her young son after a court heard that she dragged him by his school bag while she cycled on their way to school.
Last week’s sitting of Castlebar District Court heard that the mother was reported to social services after a member of the public in Ballina viewed her dragging her son while she cycled beside him, hit his hand to ensure he held onto the handlebars and chastised him for being late for school.
The mother, who cannot be named after reporting restrictions were imposed by the judge, had pleaded not guilty to the offence, which took place on September 16, 2014. The court heard that the mother had limited visiting rights with the boy, and as a result of the incident has not been in touch with the boy or with his father since.
The young boy, who was aged seven at the time, was interviewed by specialist child-interviewing gardaí, and the video evidence of the interview was shown to Judge Mary Devins.
In her verdict, Judge Devins said it was clear that the child was an exceptionally intelligent young boy who was aware of his surroundings but did not want to talk about the incident with his mother. She added that she hopes he is not affected by it.

Witness
The court heard evidence from witness Robert Browne, who explained he was with his partner when he heard shouting and noticed a woman with a push bike with a boy on foot beside her.
He said as they got closer, he could hear the woman shouting at the boy that they were late for school and saw her grab the boy by the collar and cycle while he walked. He said she was going too fast for him, and the boy fell on his belly. When she stopped, he said she grabbed the boy and continued cycling while the boy was on his knees and trying to get back on his feet.
Mr Browne said she continued to pull and shout at the boy until they came to a junction and told the boy to put his hand on the handlebar. He claimed she hit the boy’s hand with her fist while telling him to hold onto the handlebar and saying ‘You have to be careful crossing the road’.
He said he told his partner he was going to follow them and report the woman. He said the boy was very distressed, and that she also shouted at the boy in his face, claiming she used the F word and C word at him.
Mr Browne told the court that at this stage it was ‘too much for me’ because he could not believe what she was doing to the boy and he went over to him. He asked the boy if he knew the woman, and he said she was his mother.
The woman, Mr Browne said, told him to mind his own business and she brought the child to his school.

‘Inexcusable’
Mr Browne said his partner went to the school principal and explained what had happened.
Sheila O’Grady, the former principal of the boy’s school, said that Mr Browne and his partner came to the school at around 10am. She described Mr Browne as being irate and calling the woman a disgrace.
She told the court that the mother had been bringing the boy to and from school since the start of September and that she did not recall noticing anything untoward.
The father of the child said his former partner had concealed the pregnancy from him and that they separated nine months after his birth. He said he was granted sole custody when the boy was four, and his former partner was granted six hours access a week.
He explained that they started an arrangement in September where he would drop the child to his mother so she could bring him to and from school. This stopped after the September 16 incident.
In his submission, John Gordon solicitor for the defendant said there was no mention of the boy being slapped or harmed, but Judge Devins said there was sufficient evidence to convict.
She commended Mr Browne, saying that while some might describe his behaviour as ‘over the top’, when it comes to child protection, it is better to be over the top than to show ignorance of what’s going on.
Mr Gordon said the treatment of the boy was inexcusable and that her reaction to being late for school was inappropriate. He said that in the 18 months since the incident, she has not seen her son and that for a mother, this was a huge punishment.
Judge Devins adjourned sentencing until June 14 in Ballina District Court for the preparation of a victim impact statement and a probation report.