Probation for woman who left toddlers in car on hot day

A WOMAN has been given a probation order after two young children were left alone in a car in Omagh town centre, a court has heard.

The Pomeroy woman, who won’t be named to protect the identity of the children, was sentenced at Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

She was charged with cruelty to children under the age of 16.

The court heard that, at around 4.20pm on June 13, a police patrol was alerted by concerned members of the public to a Volkswagen Passat parked on Market Street.

Police inspected the vehicle, which was left running with the two back windows rolled down slightly. Peering through the window the police noticed two children, aged one and two, sat alone in the back seat.

The members of the public had raised their concern to the police as the temperature that day was 29 degrees and they claimed the driver had been gone for 15 minutes.

Five minutes later, the defendant arrived back to the car after shopping in Primark and was told by police of their intention to summon her to court.

Defence counsel, Ciaran Roddy, informed the court that Social Services had since intervened in conjunction with the charges.

Mr Roddy admitted that there had been ‘some upset’ from the children, although he said it was primarily from the vigilance of the police and the public.

Describing the case as ‘alarming’, Deputy District Judge John Connolly ordered the Pomeroy woman to complete 12 months of probation.