Two year old Iancu Muntean pictured with his mum Loredana and dad Iancu outside their home in Meadowbrook Estate Athlone

THE family of a Roma child taken into State care are seeking over €100,000 in compensation.

The Irish Independent has learned that a court action, likely to be heard next April, will bring a number of claims against the authorities.

The action is on behalf of two-year-old Iancu Muntean who was controversially removed from his home by Gardai in Athlone in October last year.

His father and mother are bringing separate actions, it has emerged. The family is claiming a breach of their constitutional and human rights, false arrest, and possibly defamation.

It is understood claims relating to false imprisonment and assault will also be brought against the state.

Paul Connellan, the family's solicitor, said he's waiting for the state to file their defences in each of the cases.

Well-placed sources say the claim of assault stems from the manner in which family members were brought to the police station and detained.

The child's father, Iancu Snr, said the family "are still getting over everything that happened. to us."

"My son is not too bad now, but for a few months after everything he was always crying and he couldn't sleep at night time," he told the Irish Independent.

"If somebody knocks on the door he's very scared. If he doesn't know their face he gets very nervous, particularly with guards in uniform, who visited for the investigation afterwards."

He added: "I had to go to the GP because I wasn't sleeping at all for a long time.

"I was so scared and anxious he gave me tablets which helped me to calm down and sleep. I kept thinking bad things would happen, and I didn't know why all this had happened to me. My wife couldn't take tablets because she was pregnant.

"We got an apology but that is not enough. I want to know why the guards did this to me and my family."

Mr Connellan would not be drawn on how much the family are seeking, but conceded it is for "significant damages."

A seven-year-old blonde-haired, blue-eyed Roma girl was also removed from her family in Tallaght, south Dublin, in the same month last year.

Waheed Mudah, solicitor for the family, said "work is in progress" regarding possible legal action.

"We will have a better indication how things are going in early January," he added.

Irish Independent