*Family Law Court Ennis

Aย โ€œshocking forgery” has been handed into a court falsely claiming that a mother, who isย allegedย to have drugged her children with a view toย feigningย their illness, had won custody of her children.

At theย Family Law Court, Judge Alec Gabbett called on TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency (CFA) to investigate the matter.

In court, Judge Gabbett outlined the details of theย case and said that theย โ€˜fraudulentโ€™ letterย purported to be from aย solicitor from the Legal Aid Board telling his client and the mother concerned that she had won sole custody of her children.

Judge Gabbett said that the letter was handed into a judge in a court in another countyย where he said that theย presiding judge said that the letter was a clear attempt to mislead the court and couldย potentially be aย criminal matter.

Judge Gabbett said that the mother concerned โ€œis a very, veryย manipulative personโ€.

He said:ย “This is a woman who allegedly drugged aย child with a view to feigning illness.ย The child for a number of years wasย completely and utterly helpless – so much so that when the childโ€™s father brought her to be examined inย hospital it was the first timeย that the childย was awake for an examination.โ€

Judge Gabbett likened the case to the Gypsy Rose case in the US where aย woman, Dee Dee Blanchard falsely claimed that her daughter, Gypsy Rose had suffered from numerous illnesses as a child.

In the case which gained worldwide attention, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison at the endย of last month after serving eight years after pleading guilty to second degree murder for the killing of her mother in 2015.

Judge Gabbett said: “This is almost on all foursย with the Gypsy Rose case in the US – this is a case where the children wereย effectively drugged.”

Judge Gabbett said: “Theย mother tried to feign illness for theย second child – theย second child allegedly had a heart condition but the child didnโ€™t have any heart condition.โ€

Judge Gabbett said:ย โ€œThe mother isย applying for custody and she tries to say she got custody.”

Judge Gabbett said that theย circumstances of the caseย โ€œis probably one of the most serious cases I have ever dealt with in the family law courtโ€.

The children are in the care of their paternal grandmother andย solicitor for the grandmother, Ann Walsh said that theย forged letter had causedย โ€œย huge upsetโ€ to her client.

Judge Gabbett saidย that the mother in the case has been represented by the Legal Aid Board and the falseย Legal Aidย Board letter told its client that the outcome of the October custodyย hearing “was inย yourย favour andย I am delighted to confirm thatย Judge Gabbett gave you sole custody of your children with a staged returnย to be supervised by TUSLA so as not to cause any further distress on the childrenโ€.

Judgeย Gabbettย said:ย โ€œThe letter is a fraud.ย I have to say that the letter will win no prizes for forgery – it is a shocking forgery. It is very badly written, has spelling mistakes and has scans and logos picked up from the Internet.โ€

He said: “It isย extremely serious, furnishing a fraudulent letter, a forgery and a letter purportedly from an officer of the court and employed by the Legal Aid Board.”

Judge Gabbett said that the TUSLA social work department had highlighted theย submission of the falsified document to the court in the other county.

Judge Gabbett said: “I want to know what TUSLA are doing about this.ย We canโ€™t have peopleย running around the courts of Ireland handing up letters like this and there being noย consequences.โ€

Solicitor for TUSLA,ย Kevin Sherry said that the matter is receiving priority and Judge Gabbett asked that Sgt John Burke ofย Ennis Garda Station remain in court to hear the facts of the case.

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