Omagh mum convicted after her baby inhales drug smoke

AN OMAGH mother has been ordered to work with probation after her seven-month-old baby fell seriously ill from inhaling drug smoke.

The mother-of-three, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, was sentenced at Dungannon Crown Court yesterday for child cruelty.

The offence relates to July 1, 2021, when the baby, then just seven-months-old, fell ill after inhaling smoke from a drug, not disclosed to the court, that the mother had been smoking.

However the offence would not come to light until the woman told social services of the incident weeks after.

It was then reported to police and charges ensued, with the defendant pleading guilty to the single child cruelty offence at arraignment on October 15.

A pre-sentence report detailed that the effect that the drugs had on the infant, adding that ongoing work is now needed for the child’s emotional development.

However, the ‘troubled past’ and prolonged drug use of the defendant was also detailed, which described the mother’s addictions to cocaine, cannabis and heroin, alongside battles with alcoholism in her life.

All three of the mother’s children have been taken off her due to, as described by the report, her ‘chaotic lifestyle and inability to look after herself’.

However, in mitigation from defence solicitor Edel O’Neill, it was noted that the mother had been taking steps to address her issues through counselling and work with mental health teams.

A doctor’s report stated that the woman was ‘determined’ to get her life back together, admitting that it would be an ‘uphill struggle’.

His Honour, Judge Richard Greene, said that a community-based sentence would be most appropriate to curtail offending and allow the woman to engage in a ‘sense of community involvement’.

The Omagh mother was handed a three-year probation order, with added conditions to attend drug and alcohol counselling and participate in work programmes designed to reduce offending.