Overview
- Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a mandatory life sentence on Tegan McGhee, with a concurrent four-and-a-half-year term for two counts of child cruelty.
- He said the abuse of the boy was continuous and involved isolating him from family contact, describing an appalling breach of trust.
- Medical evidence showed Mason had bruises of different ages, a broken rib, a torn liver and a catastrophic brain injury; his life support was withdrawn three days after admission.
- John Paul O’Connell, the child’s father, is serving seven years after pleading guilty to endangerment, neglect and impeding McGhee’s apprehension or prosecution.
- The family say concerns about Mason’s care were raised with Tusla weeks before his death, a claim reported outside the court findings.