Woman Sentenced to Jail After Concealing Baby in Drawer for Nearly 3 Years
The little girl was discovered alive, but with deformities, rashes, and matted hair. The unnamed mother was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years.
A woman who kept her baby daughter in a drawer under her bed until she was found weeks before her third birthday has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
The little girl, found at the family home in Cheshire, had matted hair, deformities, and rashes. She had a developmental age between that of a newborn baby and a 10-month-old when she was first taken to the hospital.
Chester Crown Court was informed that the mother, who cannot be named to protect her children’s identity, hid the baby from her siblings by placing her in a drawer under her bed. She also kept the child hidden from her partner, who often stayed at the house.
She was reported to have looked after her other children well.
According to the court, the woman did not seek medical help for the child’s cleft palate and did not provide adequate food and water. Instead, she fed the child milky Weetabix through a syringe. The little girl was severely malnourished and dehydrated when she was discovered.
Never Taken Outside
Sion ap Mihangel, the prosecutor, revealed, “She was kept in a drawer in the bedroom, not taken outside, not socialized, no interaction with anybody else.”
Mihangel mentioned that the infant was left alone while her mother took the other children to school, went to work, or stayed with relatives over Christmas.
When the mother’s boyfriend started staying overnight at the property, the child was moved to another room and left alone, as per the court’s information.
The daughter was found when her partner returned home one morning to use the toilet after the mother had left.
Her daughter was found when her partner returned home one morning to use the bathroom after the woman had left.
Mother Appeared Blase
In a statement, a social worker said she saw the child sitting in the drawer and asked the mother if that was where she kept her daughter. “She replied matter-of-factly ‘yes, in the drawer,'” the social worker recounted. “I was shocked that the mother did not display any emotion and appeared blase about the situation.”
The drawer where a baby was kept in, stored under her mother’s bed, until she was discovered weeks before her third birthday, in Cheshire, in an undated photo. Cheshire Constabulary/PA Wire
The child’s foster carer mentioned that it became evident the little girl did not know her own name.
When questioned by the police, the woman admitted she did not know she was pregnant and was “really scared” when she gave birth.
Mother Appeared ‘Blase’
In mitigation, barrister Matthew Dunford cited the woman’s mental health, a tumultuous relationship with the child’s father, and the COVID-19 lockdown as contributing factors.
The woman’s other children, described as well cared for, no longer live with her, as per Dunford’s statement in court.
‘Motive Not Clear’
Sentencing the woman for four counts of child cruelty, Judge Steven Everett remarked, “To my mind, what you did totally defies belief.”
The judge added, “You starved that little girl of any love, any proper affection, any proper attention, any interaction with others, a proper diet, much-needed medical attention.”
‘Sheer Chance’ Discovery
The judge also expressed that the child is a bright little girl who is slowly recovering from the trauma she endured.
PA Media contributed to this report.
