Two-year-old child found alone on three-storey roof ledge and ‘covered in faeces’, court hears

A TWO-YEAR-OLD child was found unaccompanied on the ledge of a roof of a three-storey apartment building and covered in faeces, a court heard today.

The toddler’s father, who is in his 40s, appeared before Limerick District Court, charged with one count of child cruelty.

The man cannot be identified due to a court order restricting reporting details that would identify the child who is legally entitled to anonymity under the Children’s Act.

Sergeant Jimmy Dillane, Roxboro Road Garda Station, told the court that, at around 2pm on 8 September 2023, gardaí responded to a call of a child alone on a roof at an apartment complex in Limerick City.

A witness had told gardaí that the child was alone and on a ledge of the three-storey building.

The child was “covered in faeces and non-verbal” when recovered by neighbours before gardaí arrived at the scene, Dillane told the court.