<p>
	Mother of tragic toddler Hassan Khan held at scene as gardai begin murder probe</p>
<p>
	A toddler stabbed to death at his home had been the subject of a major child safety alert just weeks ago.</p>
<p>
	Gardai arrested the mother of Hassan Khan (2) after the child was found dead in an apartment in south Dublin yesterday afternoon.</p>
<p>
	Sources said Hassan suffered a fatal neck wound when he was stabbed once with a &quot;sharp object&quot;, possibly a pair of scissors.</p>
<p>
	Gardai launched a murder probe, and were questioning his mother Hazel Waters last night after she was arrested at the scene.</p>
<p>
	Hassan was the subject of a nationwide Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) alert just a few weeks ago after he and his father, former doctor Saleem Khan, were reported missing from Ballybrack village.</p>
<p>
	However, they were located just an hour later, on the evening of August 10, and were described by gardai as being &quot;safe and well&quot; at the time.</p>
<p>
	But while the CRI was stood down when Hassan was safely returned, he was found dead at home yesterday afternoon.</p>
<p>
	Following the arrest of Ms Waters, gardai are not seeking anyone else in connection with the killing.</p>
<p>
	Last night, gardai broke the news to Hassan&#39;s father, who is in his 60s.</p>
<p>
	Part of the investigation will focus on what support facilities were provided to the boy and his family following the CRI alert by the relevant childcare authorities.</p>
<p>
	It is understood that a liaison officer was appointed to the family and the child was deemed not to be at risk.</p>
<p>
	Robert Troy, Fianna Fail spokesman on children, said: &quot;If it materialises that the child died through suspicious circumstances, an inquiry would have to take place and questions would have to be asked.</p>
<p>
	&quot;What we need to establish then is what level of support was being given to this family - and were the family allocated a dedicated social worker?</p>
<p>
	&quot;What support was needed? Was that support forthcoming? And if not, why not?&quot;</p>
<p>
	He added that &quot;this is an extremely harrowing situation&quot; but that after the CRI alert, the child should have been known to the relevant authorities.</p>
<p>
	&quot;There obviously needs to be follow-ups in that case. So I would ask what follow-up was on that case and again what level of supports was put into the family?&quot;</p>
<p>
	Detectives launched the murder inquiry after the discovery of the child&#39;s body in the apartment at the Ridge Hall complex in Ballybrack village around 2.45pm yesterday.</p>
<p>
	Gardai made the grim discovery after they were contacted by a woman who knew the boy&#39;s mother.</p>
<p>
	The child&#39;s body was removed from the scene yesterday evening around 7pm, following a preliminary examination by a pathologist.</p>
<p>
	A full post mortem is due to take place in the morning. The apartment was also being forensically examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.</p>
<p>
	Gardai are investigating whether scissors were used as the murder weapon.</p>
<p>
	Ms Waters, who is in her 40s, was arrested at the apartment by gardai shortly after they discovered Hassan&#39;s body.</p>
<p>
	She was being interviewed at Dun Laoghaire garda station last night after a doctor deemed her mentally fit to answer questions.</p>
<p>
	Ms Waters, who is being held under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act, can be detained for an initial period of 24 hours.</p>
<p>
	Garda sources have described the death of the child as a &quot;dreadful tragedy&quot;.</p>
<p>
	&quot;This is a particularly distressing and dreadful tragedy. It is being treated as a murder and charges can be expected,&quot; one source told the Irish Independent.</p>
<p>
	The boy was the couple&#39;s only son. His mother is from the Ballybrack area while her partner is believed to be from Pakistan.</p>
<p>
	It is understood that the couple were no longer living together.</p>
<p>
	Neighbour Michelle Dunne said she was &quot;devastated&quot; when she heard of the boy&#39;s death.</p>
<p>
	&quot;It&#39;s devastating. She just seemed like a lovely woman, really.</p>
<p>
	&quot;It&#39;s hard to believe that it&#39;s after happening right on our doorstep.&quot;</p>
<p>
	Shocked</p>
<p>
	Ms Dunne said the boy&#39;s mother had begun bringing Hassan to a green area in the complex approximately one year ago, where he often played with other local children.</p>
<p>
	&quot;There&#39;s a few living in the estate with young kids, and all the kids would play together, so I would know them.&quot;</p>
<p>
	&quot;Hassan was a lovely little boy as well. I&#39;m totally shocked. You&#39;d never think he was two. He was quite small, a very petite little boy.</p>
<p>
	&quot;He used to love being out with the children in the green. His mam would always be with him.</p>
<p>
	&quot;It&#39;s hard to believe it happened to a boy who used to play with my children,&quot; said the mother-of-two.</p>
<p>
	She said she had seen the boy&#39;s father Saleem outside the apartment block around the time of the CRI alert two months ago, but that she only found out about that incident days later.</p>
<p>
	Child and family agency Tusla last night said that it could not comment on individual cases.</p>
<p>
	The killing comes just a few days after Sanjeev Chada (44) was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his two sons last year.</p>
<p>
	Chada of Ballinkillen, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, drove his boys Eoghan (10) and Ruair&iacute; (5) to Co Mayo, where he strangled them.</p>
<p>
	His case sparked the first ever CRI alert in Ireland on July 29 last year.</p>
<p>
	Shortly after 3pm the alert was called off after Chada and his two deceased sons were found following the single-car collision outside Westport, Co Mayo.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/toddler-2-stabbed-to-death-with-scissors-30671027.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/toddler-2-stabbed-to-death-with-scissors-30671027.html</a></p>
