A man and woman have been charged with child cruelty after a baby was discovered in Belfast City Centre last week.
The child wrapped in a blanket, was found outside the CastleCourt entrance on Royal Avenue by bin men.
The circumstances behind what happened remain unclear, but the baby was discovered on Sunday April 7.
An ambulance was called and the child was treated at the scene for injuries and then taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
A 41-year-old man, and a 38-year-old woman were charged with child cruelty and the woman was further charged with possession of a class C drug.
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The pair appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday April 9 and were released on bail, the Sunday World reports.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance service said: "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 14.04 on Sunday 7 April 2019 following reports that a baby had been injured following an incident in Royal Avenue.
"The NIAS dispatched an emergency crew to the scene and following assessment, and initial treatment at the scene the child was taken by ambulance to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children."
Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast and Alliance Representative , Emmet McDonough - Brown, told Belfast Live: "This is obviously a very shocking incident, that a baby was left to fend for itself and I hope that he or she is okay.
"What it seems like to me is that if they are the child's parents, they are struggling and my heart goes out to them, I hope that they get the help and support they need to be better parents.
"I would urge any parent out there struggling to avail of the help services that are available to them."
A PSNI spokesperson said: "A 41-year-old man was charged with child cruelty and a 38-year-old woman was charged with child cruelty and possession of a controlled Class C drug.
"They were both due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday 9th April. As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the PPS."
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