Saturday 31 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 21170Child cruelty · Co. Donegal

Father jailed over abandoning two-year-old daughter on busy road in Letterkenny

A man in his 20s abandoned his two-year-old daughter at the side of a busy road in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, just before 5am in August 2020, as revenge after the child's mother went on a night out. Two passers-by found the crying child, and gardaí arrested the man after CCTV recovered showed him driving off. He pleaded guilty to child cruelty at Letterkenny District Court. In May 2023 the court sentenced him, with reports giving either three years in jail or four years with the final 12 months suspended, and ordered 12 months' Probation Service supervision after release.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced10 May
    4 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
A man abandoned his two-year-old daughter at the side of a busy road.
When
  • The incident happened in August 2020, just before 5am.
  • Sentencing was reported as taking place on 9 May 2023 in one article and on 10 May 2023 in others.
Where
The incident took place in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, and one report says the child was found at the entrance to a construction site.
Other details
  • The victim is a two-year-old girl, and the suspect is a man in his 20s whose name cannot be published to protect the victim's identity.
  • The man phoned the child's mother at least 30 times and threatened to abandon the child, and he had a previous drugs-related conviction.
Investigation
  • Two passers-by found the child alone, crying, cold and terrified, wearing socks but no shoes and holding a baby's bottle of milk.
  • Nobody at nearby houses recognised the child, and gardaí wrapped her up and placed her in a patrol car.
  • The man photographed the child, sent the pictures to her mother and drove off, and CCTV showing him driving away was recovered.
  • Gardaí arrested the man.
Cause
The man acted as revenge after the child's mother went on a night out, having become jealous that she had been socialising, and the act was described as premeditated.
Charges
The man pleaded guilty to a charge of child cruelty at Letterkenny District Court.
In court
Judge John Aylmer placed the offence at the higher end of the scale, citing significant risk of death or injury, and treated the early guilty plea and co-operation as mitigating.
Sentence
  • Reports differ: one says the man was jailed for three years, while others say the judge reduced an offence meriting five years to four years with the final 12 months suspended.
  • The court ordered him to identify any partners or their children within 12 months of finishing his prison sentence and to remain under the Probation Service for 12 months after release.
53 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe man abandoned his young daughter at the side of a busy road. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe man abandoned his baby daughter at the side of a busy road. (rte.ie)
  • whatThe child was found crying by two passers-by at 5am. (rte.ie)
  • whatThe father took pictures of the child alone and sent them to her mother. (thejournal.ie)
  • whereThe man left his two-year-old daughter on the side of a busy road. (gript.ie)
  • whereThe child was left in Letterkenny. (irishtimes.com, rte.ie)
  • whereThe father abandoned his baby daughter at the side of a busy road. (thejournal.ie)
  • whereThe child was found at the entrance to a construction site. (thejournal.ie)
  • whenTwo men on the way home in Letterkenny at about 5am thought they heard a child crying. (gript.ie)
  • whenThe incident happened in August 2020, just before 5am. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe incident took place in August 2020. (rte.ie, thejournal.ie)
  • whenThe child was found at 5am by two passers-by. (thejournal.ie)
  • causeThe man left the child as an act of revenge against her mother, who had gone out for the night. (gript.ie)
  • causeThe act was described as premeditated, and the man photographed the child and sent the photos to her mother before driving away. (gript.ie)
  • causeHe acted to get revenge after the child's mother went on a night out. (irishtimes.com)
  • causeThe man had become jealous that his ex-partner had been out socialising. (irishtimes.com)
  • causeThe man became jealous that his ex-partner had been out socialising. (rte.ie)
  • causeThe father acted to get revenge after the child's mother went on a night out. (thejournal.ie)
  • causeThe father had become jealous that his ex-partner had been out socialising. (thejournal.ie)
  • investigationThe two men found the child alone, wearing socks but no shoes, crying and holding a baby's bottle of milk. (gript.ie)
  • investigationNobody who answered the doors at the nearby houses recognised the child. (gript.ie)
  • investigationGardaí wrapped the child up and placed her in a patrol car. (gript.ie)
  • investigationCCTV footage showing the man driving off after leaving the child alone was recovered. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe man was arrested by gardaí. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe accused was arrested by gardaí. (rte.ie, thejournal.ie)
  • investigationCCTV showing the man driving off and leaving the child alone was recovered. (rte.ie)
  • investigationCCTV showing the man driving off and leaving the toddler alone was recovered. (thejournal.ie)
  • chargeThe man pleaded guilty to a charge of child cruelty. (irishtimes.com, rte.ie)
  • courtThe early guilty plea was treated as a mitigating factor. (gript.ie)
  • courtThe judge placed the incident at the higher end of the scale for such offences. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe accused appeared at Letterkenny District Court and pleaded guilty to child cruelty. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe man was jailed for three years by Letterkenny District Court. (gript.ie)
  • sentenceThe sentence was four of a possible five years, with the final year suspended. (gript.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge ordered the man to identify any partners or their children he forms a relationship with within 12 months of finishing his prison sentence. (gript.ie)
  • sentenceThe man was jailed for three years. (irishtimes.com, rte.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge said the offence merited a sentence of five years. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceBecause of an early plea and co-operation, the sentence was reduced to four years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceThe judge reduced the sentence to four years and suspended the last 12 months. (rte.ie)
  • sentenceThe man must remain under the Probation Service for 12 months after his release. (rte.ie)
  • sentenceThe accused was jailed for three years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge reduced the sentence to four years imprisonment because of an early plea and cooperation. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge suspended the last 12 months of the four-year sentence. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe accused must remain under the Probation Service for 12 months after release. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherThe child's mother later phoned the local Garda station and said the child's father had abandoned the child out of jealousy while she was away. (gript.ie)
  • otherThe man called the child's mother at least thirty times and threatened to abandon the child. (gript.ie)
  • otherThe man had a previous conviction related to drugs. (gript.ie)
  • otherThe child's mother told the court the girl does not like to be around people other than herself and her parents. (gript.ie)
  • otherThe man took pictures of the child and sent them to her mother before driving off. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherTwo passersby found the child crying, cold and terrified a short time later. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe man phoned the child's mother on at least 30 occasions and threatened to abandon the child. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe man has not seen his daughter since the incident. (rte.ie)
  • otherThe father telephoned the mother at least 30 times and threatened to abandon the child. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherThe child was left alone for two minutes, according to the judge. (thejournal.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 10 May2023
    Sentencedthejournal.ie, follow-up
    Father who abandoned baby on side of road to get revenge on child's mother jailed for three years

    Court report on sentencing after a guilty plea to child cruelty. No existing case matches this incident.

    convicted, 20s, malevictim, 2, femalevictim, female
  2. 10 May2023
    Sentencedrte.ie, first report
    Father who abandoned child on side of busy road jailed

    Sentencing report at Letterkenny District Court. The article gives the incident as August 2020 but no exact date, and it does not match any existing case.

    convicted, 20s, malevictim, 2, female
  3. 10 May2023
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Man jailed for abandoning daughter (2) at roadside to get revenge on partner

    The article opens by saying he was jailed for three years, but later the judge is reported as reducing the sentence to four years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended, from an offence meriting five years. The article gives the sentencing date as Tuesday, May 9th, and only the month and year of the incident.

    convicted, 20s, malevictim, 2, female
  4. 10 May2023
    Sentencedgript.ie, first report
    Man who abandoned 2yr old daughter as an act of revenge is jailed for 3 years - Gript

    Court report on the sentencing. Adds the sentence, the mother's account, the threats made by phone, the man's previous drugs conviction and the judge's order. No existing case in the list matches this incident.

    convicted, twenties, malevictim, 2, female