Pregnant woman ordered to attend court day before due date

A district judge on Wednesday ordered a pregnant woman to attend court on Friday, the day before she’s due to give birth.

District Judge Paul Copeland made his ruling at the Magistrates' court in Derry and said he wanted the woman to come to court on Friday and enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty to a burglary charge she faced.

The defendant, Elizabeth McMenamin (23) from Glenowen, Derry, is charged with entering as a trespasser a flat at Strand Foyer in Derry on May 10th of this year and stealing an Xbox and Xbox games. At the time of the alleged incident the defendant was a resident in Strand Foyer.

Her co-defendant, Siobhán Whelan (25) from Drumard Park, Derry, is charged with the same offence and with assaulting a police officer on the same date, also in Strand Foyer when she too was a resident there.

A police officer told the judge that CCTV footage from within Strand Foyer showed the defendants entering a man’s flat and removing the Xbox along with the games. She said all of the stolen items were later recovered.

A solicitor for Ms McMenamin asked for an adjournment in the case against his client.

“My client is heavily pregnant and she is due to give birth in three days time,” he said.

However the judge said he wanted both women to appear in court on Friday to enter pleas to the charges they faced.

Both women were released on continuing bail until Friday.