Charges against a woman accused of multiple offences including arson and strangling and threatening to kill a young child, whom she had become extremely jealous of, are proceeding despite her contention she does not have capacity.
Aged in her twenties and from County Tyrone but currently remanded in custody having been deemed “unmanageable” if granted bail, the woman, who is not the child’s mother, cannot be named at this stage.
She appeared for by video-link before Dungannon Crown Court charged with intentionally applying pressure on or to the throat of the child affecting his ability to breathe or the flow of blood to his brain and making a threat to kill him.
It is further alleged she twice assaulted a woman who stepped in to save the child.
This offending is alleged to have occurred on October 17, 2025.
However she also faces a separate charge pre-dating that incident in which it is alleged she damaged a dwelling by fire and being reckless to the endangerment of others, on February 6 2025.
The cases have been listed multiple times but are continually adjourned due to the defendant being obstructive and non-cooperative, to the extent her lawyers have requested she is not produced to court in person.
She was scheduled to indicate how she intends to plead to all matters today (Friday) however defence counsel requested a further adjournment while “discussions take place.”
Judge Mark McGarrity agreed and remanded the defendant in continuing custody to appear again by video-link on September 30.
Lawyers for the woman previously had her psychiatrically assessed as they believed she was mentally unfit after she stated she hated the child and wanted to kill him as he was “getting all the attention”.
On one occasion this extended to her setting out what she planned to do to harm the child by “abducting him from school and he could never be seen again as she would throw him into a river.”
Although the assessment was not finalised, she appeared to have self-diagnosed and was heard to say, “I’ve had enough and (child) is going over the river wall. I will throw him over because I’ve severely had enough. I don’t have capacity”
On being told this would be reported to police the woman replied, “I don’t care. I don’t have capacity and they can’t do anything anyway. I wrote it down on paper last night (child) is going over the wall. No-one can stop me. I’ve no capacity and I can just do what I want. If I say I’m going to do something, then I will do it.”
It has since transpired the psychiatric assessment found she has capacity and the case against her is continuing.
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