Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/two-year-old-found-covered-31923021
Credit: Philip Dewey Court Correspondent for Wales Online 15:35, 24 Jun 2025
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/iDCFv
Cardiff Crown Court (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
A mother left five of her children alone in her untidy flat while she went out to work as a cleaner. The youngest child, aged two years old, was found wearing a soiled nappy and had faeces on their legs and in their hair.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard social services requested police to conduct a welfare check at the mother's flat in Cardiff this year. Officers attended the property and found the front door unlocked and open.
Upon entering the home, they found five children, aged between 15 and two years old, sleeping on mattresses with no bedding or duvets.
There was no adult present in the flat, and the youngest child was found with a soiled nappy and had faeces on their legs and in their hair.
The flat itself was unkempt with items strewn throughout the property with areas of the flat in need of repair.
CCTV footage was played to the court by prosecutor Sol Hartley, which showed the state the children and the flat had been left in.
The defendant returned home at 9.44am, having gone to work as a cleaner at 6am that morning.
The children were taken into the care of social services and were removed from their mother, who was taken into police custody and interviewed.
She told police she was struggling with her life and conceded she had been neglectful for leaving her 15-year-old child to care for their four siblings, and for leaving the front door open. She did, however, say that she needed to go to work or she would lose her job.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to five counts of assaulting/ill treating/neglecting a child.
The court heard there had previously been social services involvement with the defendant due to concerns about her children's diet, their appearance, missed appointments and her alcohol consumption.
In mitigation, Alice Sykes said her client had "struggled to come to terms" with the position she had found herself in and described her mental health as "fragile".
It was said the defendant had witnessed domestic abuse as a child, was emotionally and physically abused by her parents and suffered domestic violence at the hands of two previous partners.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said viewing the footage in court had been "upsetting" and the welfare risks to the children were obvious.
The defendant was sentenced to an 18-month community order with a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and an alcohol monitoring requirement of 12 months.
Credit: Philip Dewey Court Correspondent for Wales Online 15:35, 24 Jun 2025
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/iDCFv
Cardiff Crown Court (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
A mother left five of her children alone in her untidy flat while she went out to work as a cleaner. The youngest child, aged two years old, was found wearing a soiled nappy and had faeces on their legs and in their hair.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard social services requested police to conduct a welfare check at the mother's flat in Cardiff this year. Officers attended the property and found the front door unlocked and open.
Upon entering the home, they found five children, aged between 15 and two years old, sleeping on mattresses with no bedding or duvets.
There was no adult present in the flat, and the youngest child was found with a soiled nappy and had faeces on their legs and in their hair.
The flat itself was unkempt with items strewn throughout the property with areas of the flat in need of repair.
CCTV footage was played to the court by prosecutor Sol Hartley, which showed the state the children and the flat had been left in.
The defendant returned home at 9.44am, having gone to work as a cleaner at 6am that morning.
The children were taken into the care of social services and were removed from their mother, who was taken into police custody and interviewed.
She told police she was struggling with her life and conceded she had been neglectful for leaving her 15-year-old child to care for their four siblings, and for leaving the front door open. She did, however, say that she needed to go to work or she would lose her job.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to five counts of assaulting/ill treating/neglecting a child.
The court heard there had previously been social services involvement with the defendant due to concerns about her children's diet, their appearance, missed appointments and her alcohol consumption.
In mitigation, Alice Sykes said her client had "struggled to come to terms" with the position she had found herself in and described her mental health as "fragile".
It was said the defendant had witnessed domestic abuse as a child, was emotionally and physically abused by her parents and suffered domestic violence at the hands of two previous partners.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said viewing the footage in court had been "upsetting" and the welfare risks to the children were obvious.
The defendant was sentenced to an 18-month community order with a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and an alcohol monitoring requirement of 12 months.
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