Mum 'left four children home alone to go on drink and drugs binge'

10:10am Thursday 3rd September 2009

By Andrew Bellard

A MOTHER left four children under the age of five home alone while she went on a drink and drugs binge, a court was told.

Magistrates heard the youngest child, just three months old, was grey, docile and his forehead was sunken by the time a concerned relative forced his way into the house.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, told the court that when the relative arrived he was confronted by the baby’s four year old sister hanging out of a window in a distressed state.

Inside he found a one-year-old boy in his cot soaked in urine in a bedroom on his own. The youngest baby was in a travel cot. He had no blanket and was wet through and wearing a soiled nappy. There was dried milk and sick all over his clothing.

A three-year-old girl had managed to dress herself and the most upset was the oldest girl. The four year old had attempted to mix a feed for the baby who was crying with hunger.

“The children had been trying to gain access to the cupboards because they were hungry,” said Miss Allan. “Inside the house there were empty cans, bottles, broken furniture and the kitchen knives could have been accessed. Any of the children could have been seriously injured or worse as a result of being left unattended.”

One of the first police officers on the scene described a scene of filth and disorder.

She said kitchen chairs had been pushed up to the units and there were children’s’ footprints in the milk powder where the youngsters had tried to climb up to the cupboards.

When interviewed by police the mother told how she had put the children to bed and then drunk a bottle of wine.

She said some people, who she didn’t know, came to her house and they were all drinking and snorting cocaine.

She then left with them and went to another house for more drink and drugs before going drinking in a town centre. She went drinking the following day and didn’t return to her East Lancashire home until 10.30 pm.

Miss Allan told Blackburn magistrates: “They were left on their own in appalling conditions and with dangers in the house. They had no access to food or drink. The eldest, who was just four years old, was trying to look after her baby brother and the other siblings.”

He said Social Services were now involved in the care of the children and his client was only allowed supervised access.

“This is a young lady who has problems and needs help,” said Mr Phoenix. “It seems clear she has fallen into bad company.”

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to four charges of child cruelty and was committed on bail to Preston Crown Court after the magistrates said their powers of punishment were insufficient.