Care children back with parents

The couple, from County Londonderry, were staying in this hotel

Three NI children taken into temporary care by the Portuguese authorities are back with their parents.

The County Londonderry couple allegedly passed out drunk at their hotel in the Algarve, forcing officials to remove their children, aged six, two and one.

Hotel staff had called police over concerns that the children of Eamon McGuckin, 34, and his wife Antoinette, 32, would not stop crying.

A specialised children's court has yet to rule on the case.

At the weekend, duty court officials saw no reason to press criminal charges, but a specialised court which focuses on minors has yet to examine the case.

It is understood the Upperlands couple had been out drinking on Friday night.

The children were taken to a children's home in Faro, while their mother and father were treated at a health centre in Loule.

'Out cold'

The couple have not commented on the incident, but the director of the home where their children were looked after described it as "shocking".

"It is the first time it has happened in my 22 years working at this home," said Dr Luis Villas-Boas.

"It's normal for a couple for one to drink while the other doesn't drink. The problem here is they were both passed out.

"It was extreme neglect and abandonment. I hope somebody carries this information to the UK so these parents can at least be seen because these children are indeed at risk."

Dr Luis Villas-Boas said his children's home was called shortly after midnight on Friday and asked to provide emergency shelter for the youngsters.

A spokesman for the local police said they were contacted by hotel staff at 2200 local time because "the children were crying and they could not revive the parents, who were both out cold".

He said: "We arrived to assess the situation and called the INEM (Portugal's national medical emergency service) as the parents were unconscious, and they were taken to hospital.

"We called the social services. We looked after the children until the social services arrived and they took them away."