Karen Harrington

Karen Harrington of Lakelands Crescent in Mahon in Cork city, has gone on trial in charged with the murder of toddler Santina Cawley in July of 2019.

It is claimed that he placed Santina on a duvet style blanket and then realised that he forgotten his phone and returned to the Higgins apartment in a bid to retrieve it. Among those to arrive at the scene was Sgt Brian Teehan who is due to give evidence that Santina was warm to the touch but lifeless. Mr Gilliane said it is the case of the State that Michael brought his daughter Santina back to 26 Elderwood Park and that Miss Harrington was in the living area. It is alleged that Mr Cawley wanted a cousin of his to come stay in Miss Higgins’ apartment and that there was some disagreement about same. He told her that he was going to contact Gardaí. Mr Gillane said that Mr Olney called gardai amid at 4.31am after he became concerned about the screaming child at the apartment. Santina was transferred to hospital where she died at 9.20am on the 5th of July 2019. She was residing in the apartment at the time of the alleged offence. At 10pm Michael Cawley went to the Atlantic Pond with Santina in the car. Karen Harrington made an arrangement to meet a friend at Elderwood Drive in the same apartment complex where she lived. The jurors were told that Santina sustained polytrauma and blunt force trauma, with extensive bruising to the head, thorax, abdomen and limbs, an injury to her spine and nose and bruising on her mouth. Mr Cawley had also dropped the defendant in to the city and she was doing her own shopping around town.