Man and woman charged with child cruelty after baby found dumped in Belfast city centre
A 41-YEAR-OLD man and a 38-year-old woman have been charged with child cruelty after a baby was found dumped in the Belfast city centre.
Bin men found the child wrapped in a blanket outside the CastleCourt entrance on Sunday April 7.
The circumstances surrounding what happened remain unclear.
An ambulance raced to the scene where the baby was treated for injuries before it was taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for sick children.
The man and woman were charged with child cruelty, and the woman was further charged with possession of a class C drug.
They both appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday, April 9 and were released on bail, the Sunday World reports.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance service said: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 14.04 on Sunday 7 April 2019 following reports that a baby had been injured following an incident in Royal Avenue.
“The NIAS dispatched an emergency crew to the scene and following assessment, and initial treatment at the scene the child was taken by ambulance to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.”
Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast and Alliance Representative , Emmet McDonough – Brown, said it was shocking the baby was left to fend for itself after being left.
He told Belfast Live: “What it seems like to me is that if they are the child’s parents, they are struggling and my heart goes out to them, I hope that they get the help and support they need to be better parents.
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“I would urge any parent out there struggling to avail of the help services that are available to them.”
A PSNI spokesperson said: “A 41-year-old man was charged with child cruelty and a 38-year-old woman was charged with child cruelty and possession of a controlled Class C drug.
“They were both due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday 9th April. As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the PPS.”
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