Deborah McAleese

Jan 27, 2025 | itv.com | Deborah McAleese

A seven-week-old baby girl died while co-sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend after he had taken a cocktail of drugs, a Coroner’s Court has found. Baby Heather Katie Mathers was on the child protection register amid concerns for her well-being when she was found dead at 7am on 26 August, 2019 at a house in Lurgan. On the morning she was found dead Heather Katie was sharing a bed with her mother’s boyfriend. Her mother – Rebecca Mathers – was sleeping on a sofa in another room.

Nov 29, 2024 | itv.com | Deborah McAleese

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is to reduce the number of crews available to respond to 999 calls from 2am to 6am in the South Eastern Trust area in a bid to increase the number of ambulances available during busier daytime periods. The Ambulance Service has insisted the move will provide the best service to patients. However, Unite the Union has said crews are concerned about the level of early morning cover when the pilot initiative takes effect in February.

Oct 18, 2024 | itv.com | Deborah McAleese

ExclusiveEmergency plans are being drawn up by the Southern Health Trust to try and protect maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. Staff have voiced concerns that some maternity services at the hospital may have to be temporarily suspended before a solution can be found. The Southern Health Trust has refuted that it plans to pull the service, but admitted that discussions are ongoing as to how best stabilise maternity services.

Sep 22, 2024 | itv.com | Deborah McAleese

As hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continue to spiral, a Belfast mother has begged the Irish and British governments to help find and evacuate her two-year-old son from Lebanon, where he was taken by his father. Just hours after a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon, Catherine Flanagan told UTV she was terrified for her son’s safety amidst the violence. Catherine took David to visit his father in Lebanon, where he is from and works, in August 2022.

Apr 8, 2024 | itv.com | Deborah McAleese

The father of a baby who died six days after his birth, has told an inquest that his son’s hospital delivery was "pure shambles.” Baby Troy Brady was born in the maternity unit at Craigavon Area Hospital on 19th August 2019. He died in the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit on 25th August 2019. An inquest hearing into baby Troy's death was told on Monday that the infant was born with severe head injuries, with a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain.