Man pleads guilty to wilful neglect of children
A man has pleaded guilty to charges of wilful neglect of children.
He also admitted possession of cocaine and cannabis. The man appeared at a court in County Antrim. The charges relate to a date in the summer of 2024.
During an 11pm welfare check the defendant was "lying naked on his bed snoring" and police were unable to awaken him. The house was in "disarray" with "piles of unwashed clothes littering the floor".
Children's beds were unmade with no duvets, duvet covers or blankets. There was rubbish on the kitchen floor and minimal amounts of food in the freezer and cupboards.
There was a pile of unwashed dishes and "half-eaten" food left out. Four buds of suspected cannabis and a rolled partially-smoked 'joint' were on a kitchen counter. An open kitchen cupboard contained a wrap of a substance.
"Both children were downstairs, laying on the sofa under blankets," said a prosecutor. Due to the nature of the house the children were removed by police and a foster placement was arranged.
The defendant cannot be named to protect the identity of the children. A defence barrister said the defendant "does love his children dearly" but had been struggling since the death of the children's mum.
The barrister said he had taken steps to "turn his life around" and is now working and "fully engaging" with Social Services. He has supervised contact with the children a number of times a week.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said the it was a "quite harrowing" case but that thankfully although there was "no obvious physical injury" the children would have "sustained emotional trauma".
The judge told the defendant he was "satisfied you have reflected on what has happened and have expressed remorse". He said the children are "now safe and well looked after".
Rather than jailing the defendant, as he said the "knock-on effect" would be the halting of the children's contact with him, the judge handed down a Combination Order of 100 hours of Community Service and one year's Probation.