MS ROISIN McALISKEY has refused to meet social services in Britain because they want to assess her suitability as a mother, according to her sister, Deirdre.
Ms McAliskey, who is almost seven months pregnant, is on remand in Holloway prison in north London awaiting extradition to Germany to face charges in relation to an IRA mortar attack on a British army barracks.
"Roisin has been asked to comply with a meeting with social services to test her fitness to be a mother," Ms Deirdre McAliskey said yesterday. "She has refused to meet them because of the nature of the meeting - that it is a test of whether or not she would be fit to keep her child."
Her sister last saw Ms McAliskey in a closed visit before Christmas. Apart from Ms McAliskey's partner, Mr Sean McCotter, all other visits have been closed. Mr McCotter had the first open visit on Monday.
"They sat across a table from each other, shadowed by prison guards, who were closer to Roisin and Sean than they were to each other" Ms Deirdre McAliskey said. "It's still going to be a number of days before we hear whether or not Roisin will be, allowed to keep the child."
A spokesman for the British Prisons Service said social services would automatically be involved in any decision on a baby born to a prisoner. He said he believed the decision about Ms McAliskey's baby may not bed made until next week.
Social services had not been informed of Ms McAliskey's refusal, to see them. "They effectively have operation of the mother and baby unit," he said. A decision would depend on their assessment.
"Their decision will be made on a number of different considerations, including the question of the mother's background. .. and all the other questions you would be expected to be asked."
. The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, last night made a plea in the House of Commons for the "human dignity" of Ms Roisin McAliskey to be respected. "For a woman who is almost seven months pregnant to be strip- searched almost 60 times while that person is on remand, not found guilty of anything, must surely be an affront to the dignity of a human being."
