A new mum who drank a "huge amount of alcohol" while staying in a hotel with her baby became violent when arrested, took her clothes off and acted lewdly after she was taken to a garda station.

The Dublin woman (25), had been drinking vodka and the alcohol "hit her very hard" as she had abstained throughout her pregnancy.

She flew into a rage and threw things at hotel staff, who called gardai out of concern for her seven-week-old child.

After she was arrested and taken to a garda station, she shouted threats, stripped off, lay down on a mattress and made a lewd suggestion to the garda who was trying to search her.

The woman pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a child, threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour, public intoxication and garda obstruction at the Ibis Hotel, Monastery Road, Clondalkin, on the morning of February 3 last year.

She also admitted violent and indecent behaviour at Clondalkin Garda Station.

Adjourning the case for a probation report, Judge Patricia Harney said what had happened "went far beyond the norm of somebody having too much to drink".

Gda Sarah Flood told Dublin District Court gardai were called to the hotel and went to the reception area, where they saw the accused was highly intoxicated and holding a small infant in her arms, not supporting his head.

Staff said they had seen her earlier holding the child by the arm and he had been left unattended at the reception desk at one point.

The accused began shouting abuse at the gardai, who asked her to sit down with the child.

She refused to sit or give her details to the officers, and said the child had been last fed at 9pm the night before.

She became irate at staff and began throwing objects behind the counter, then called the gardai "scumbags" and "c**ts" before being arrested and taken to the garda station.

She threatened to spit in a garda's face and called her a "tramp, a bitch and a c**t".

On the indecency charge, the court heard that while the woman was being searched in a cell, she took her clothes off, lay down on a mattress and made an indecent suggestion to the garda.

She threw her clothes, shoes and the mattress at the officer.

She was detained at the garda station until she sobered up.

The accused had no previous convictions.

The court heard the baby was taken into care but had since been returned to the woman.

The accused and her boyfriend had stayed in the hotel with their child and they had "drunk too much, there is no doubt about that", defence solicitor Edward Bradbury said.

The child was "here today" in the courthouse and was now 17-months-old and "hale and hearty", Mr Bradbury said.

The accused was a good mother and was doing very well, he added.

Judge Harney said: "This was the most appalling behaviour toward the staff and the gardai."

The accused told the judge she could not remember what happened.

The judge told her: "You do not realise the slippery slope you are on. You are well on your way to having a serious drink problem."

Herald