‘Mum told gardai she abused 3 of her kids’

Court hears ‘adults preyed on youngsters up to twice a week’

A MOTHER told gardai she “felt disgusting”after admitting she abused her children, a trial of six family members heard yesterday.

The 34-year-old named a number of people who she said also abused some of the youngsters, the Central Criminal Court trial was told.

The woman has pleaded not guilty to 25 charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilful neglect of a child at locations in Munster on unknown dates between August 2014 and April 2016.

Reporting restrictions are in place to protect the welfare and identities of the children. Yesterday the jury were played transcripts of the woman’s interviews with gardai following her arrest in 2018. She was interviewed six times over two days.

During the first four interviews, the mother repeatedly denied allegations put to her that she abused her children, saying: “I think they are telling lies.”

She agreed that she loved her kids but said they “can pull tricks”.

She added: “They are hurting us by making allegations.” And she repeatedly claimed gardai were trying to make her admit to something she did not do.

The court heard that in her sixth interview, the woman told gardai she abused three of her children.

She outlined a number of separate incidents, including one which she said happened when her husband and a 49-year-old uncle were present.

The court heard the mother named a number of persons, alongside herself, who she said were involved in abusing the children.

She said the abuse happened “maybe once a week or two times a week”.

When asked how she felt in relation to what she said she had done, she replied: “I feel disgusting.”

She agreed that she instructed one of her sons not to tell anyone what was happening.

The young mother told gardai the abuse started in 2015 and that she was “ashamed”.

She claimed, “I wasn’t the only one to have a part in all of this” adding that she was “encouraged” to carry out half of it.