A woman has appeared before the courts charged with the murder of her teenage daughter at the family home in Co Kilkenny last November.
Lynn Gibbs (46), Killure, Gowran, Co Kilkenny, was charged at Dún Laoghaire District Court with the murder of her daughter Ciara, aged 16, at the family home some time between 11pm on November 25th last and 10am on November 26th.
Mrs Gibbs, who works as a psychiatrist with the HSE, was remanded in custody to Mountjoy women's prison by Judge Clare Leonard. She will appear before the court again next Tuesday, May 29th.
Mrs Gibbs was found in a collapsed state in the family home by her husband and young son on their return home on the morning of Sunday, November 26th, after an overnight trip to Co Tipperary.
The remains of Ciara Gibbs were found in the bath in the house. A postmortem later revealed she had died from drowning.
Mrs Gibbs has been undergoing psychiatric treatment since the death of her daughter last year. She is currently a patient at the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin, and was expected to be transferred back there after yesterday's court appearance following a brief committal to Mountjoy.
She was taken to Dún Laoghaire courthouse from the hospital yesterday morning. She was arrested outside the court and the murder charge put to her by gardaí before her brief appearance before Judge Leonard.
Mrs Gibbs was granted free legal aid. Sgt Patrick Whelan gave evidence to the court relating to Mrs Gibbs's arrest and caution yesterday morning. Supt Aidan Roche, of Thomastown Garda station in Co Kilkenny, said the book of evidence in the case is expected to be ready in four weeks' time.
After the discovery of Ciara Gibbs's remains at the house in Kilkenny last November, the property was sealed off for five days while extensive technical and forensic examinations were carried out.
Mrs Gibbs was hospitalised immediately and was unable to attend her daughter's funeral. Gardaí were unable to interview her for some time after her daughter's drowning.
A murder inquiry was not opened immediately with the schoolgirl's death instead treated as an "unexplained death" for some weeks by investigating officers.
