When the dead body of a newborn baby is found, police arrest a young woman and charge her and her family with infanticide. Based on actual events and set in rural Ireland in the 1980's, this is the story of Joanne Hayes and the notorious 'Kerry Babies Case'.
On April 13th , 1984, Joanne Hayes (24 ) concealed the birth and death of her baby in her farm in Co. Kerry, Ireland. On the same night the body of a new-born baby was washed ashore on a beach in Caherciveen 20 miles away. It had been stabbed 28 times. The police began an investigation, and soon, the finger of blame was pointing at Joanne. All the scientific evidence showed that she could not have killed or indeed given birth to this second baby. The police, nevertheless, insisted on charging her and, after the charges had to be dropped, continued to insist that she had given birth to twins conceived of two different men, scientifically known as super-fecundation.
A public tribunal of inquiry was called to examine the behaviour of the police and their handling of the case. The police, in defence of themselves and in justification of 'confessions' obtained, called a succession of male experts to give evidence on the medical, social and moral fibre of Joanne Hayes. All details of this woman's private, personal and sexual life were discussed and debated in an open court. The treatment of Joanne Hayes, who stood accused of no crime, was a paradigm for society's attitudes to women at that time.
Kerry Babies is a story of human injustice in contemporary Ireland. Based on the book by Nell McCafferty entitled 'A Woman To Blame' this film will chart the horrific story of the Kerry Babies case.
Genre: Factual Drama
Writer/Director: Gerry Stembridge
Producers: Jackie Larkin & Joel Conroy
