The heartbroken mum of two-year-old Santina Cawley has spoken of the moment she saw her dead child and issued a plea for the killer to come forward.
The tot died at Cork University Hospital after being found with serious injuries at an apartment in Cork city last week.
A murder investigation is underway into the grim incident.
Speaking to Virgin Media News, Bridget O'Donoghue said: "They brought me into a private room and said 'the child is dead'.
"... I broke down. I went to grab her... her eyes were open, her mouth was full of blood and she was battered to death.
"And I said 'what happened to my baby, could you give me an explanation?'
"They couldn't give me any explanation as to what happened to my baby girl.
"How these bruises... the back of her head was dinged, all her body... the blanket fell off her when they said 'do you want to hold her?'
"I said 'of course I want to hold my baby, that's my baby'.
"Then I rocked her... the blanket fell off her... her legs were all bruised, the two of them.
"Her teeth were broken, her nose was cut, she had cuts everywhere.
"The back of her brain, the top of her head was dinged in. Her ears were black and blue.
"What animal could do that to a two-year-old baby, like? You know?"
Issuing a plea for the killer to come forward, Bridget added: "I want the person, whoever did this to my baby, to come forward, please come forward and give a confession.
"That’s what I want. I want justice, because I will never rest until I get justice.
"How could you rest? How could the baby rest?"
A full interview with Bridget will be aired on Virgin Media News at 5.30pm, 8pm and 10pm today.
