Childminder goes on trial accused of causing serious harm to baby

A retrial opened at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 12 June 2018 concerning a Cavan childminder accused of causing serious harm to a ten-month-old infant. Sandra Higgins, aged 37 of Drumgola Wood, Cavan, has pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly inflicting serious harm on the child at her home on 28 March 2012. The prosecution outlined that the baby was admitted to hospital with seizures and displaying significant injuries including head and facial bruising, brain bleeding, and detached retinas in both eyes. The State alleges these injuries were inflicted by Ms Higgins and posed substantial risk of death or bodily impairment. The defence accepted the severity of injuries but disputed causation. The court heard the baby had been in Ms Higgins's care full-time since November 2011, and that parents reported concerns about bumps and bruises approximately one month before the incident. The trial was scheduled to run for three weeks, with the jury instructed to base verdicts solely on courtroom evidence.