A mock foetus similar to the type used in medical training was responsible for sparking a major Garda investigation in Ballyfermot, it has emerged.
The realistic-looking 18 to 20 week-old 'foetus' was found in the car-park of the Health Centre on Drumfinn Road in Ballyfermot on Thursday afternoon. The area had been technically examined and the 'foetus' removed to the city morgue for a post mortem.
The discovery came just weeks after a healthy abandoned baby was found on Lower Clanbrassil Street. His mother later came forward and was reunited with her young son.
Gardaí in Ballyfermot called off their investigation yesterday morning when forensic tests found that the material was not human. A Garda spokeswoman said it was not known where the 'foetus' had come from, or whether it was the property of a college or hospital.
Once gardaí were satisfied that the foetus was not human, they did not concern themselves with its origin, she said. Gardaí were not ruling out the fact that the object might have been placed maliciously to spark an investigation and waste Garda time.
