The trial of a woman charged with the murder of a two-year-old girl in an apartment in Cork nearly three years ago has heard that the toddler had “devastating injuries” with “scarcely a part of her body not sustaining some form of trauma.”
Karen Harrington of Lakelands Crescent in Mahon in Cork city, has gone on trial in charged with the murder of toddler Santina Cawley in July of 2019.
Ms Harrington, 37, was in a relationship with the father of the deceased, Michael Cawley, at the time of the alleged offence.
The first day of the trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard an outline of the evidence from the Prosecution.
The jurors were told that Santina sustained polytrauma and blunt force trauma, with extensive bruising to the head, thorax, abdomen and limbs, an injury to her spine and nose and bruising on her mouth. She also incurred a fracture of the ribs, a fracture to the skull and a brain injury.
Ms Harrington has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder of the young child on the 5th of July 2019 at 26 Elderwood Park in Boreenmanna Road on the southside of Cork city. She was residing in the apartment at the time of the alleged offence.
Prosecuting Counsel Sean Gillane, SC, gave an outline of the State’s case to the jury of seven men and five women this afternoon.
He said that Dylan Olney, who was living in an apartment next to where Santina was found in a critical condition, would give evidence that at about 4am on July 5th, 2019 he heard the sound of screaming and banging originating from the apartment of Miss Harrington.
“Not only did he hear the child crying he could hear the accused shouting directly at the child, mocking, taunting and terrorising the child.”
Mr Gillane said that the the parents of the deceased Michael Cawley and Bridget O’Donoghue had separated at the time of the alleged offence and that Santina was living with her father in Grattan Street in Cork.
