The Central Criminal Court has heard a doctor gave a toxic level of a sedative to her daughter, before overdosing herself.

58-year-old Bernadette Scully of Emvale, Bachelors Walk in Tullamore, Co Offaly denies the manslaughter of her daughter Emily by administering an excessive quantity of a sedative

The jury was told 11-year-old Emily was born with microcephaly and epilepsy and was profoundly disabled.

In the weeks before her death she was in pain following an operation, and was not sleeping well. Her mother Bernadette Scully was also exhausted.

On the September 15th 2012, the court heard Emily was found unresponsive at the family home in Tullamore and Ms Scully appeared to have taken an overdose.

A post mortem showed an excessive amount of the sedative, chloral hydrate, in Emily's blood.

Ms Scully told gardaí she had administered the drug to Emily as she had been upset and in pain that night - and accepted she had given her too much.

The State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy said there was a potentially fatal level of chloral hydrate in Emily’s blood.

The court heard Emily had three seizures before she passed away.

When cross examined by the defence. Professor Cassidy agreed that a seizure could have caused her death.