A mother from Cheshire has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for “extreme neglect” after keeping her baby daughter hidden in a drawer for the first three years of her life. The girl, severely malnourished and deprived of daylight or human interaction, was discovered when a visitor to the home heard her crying.
The child, now in foster care, was found with matted hair, deformities, and severe developmental delays. She had been fed only Weetabix and milk through a syringe and weighed the same as a seven-month-old infant. Despite her medical needs, including a cleft palate, no treatment was ever sought.
Prosecutors revealed the mother hid the girl’s existence from her siblings and partner by concealing her in a drawer under the bed. The child was left alone for long periods, entirely isolated.
Chester Crown Court Judge Steven Everett described the case as “beyond belief,” stating the mother deprived her daughter of love, medical care, and proper nourishment. Social workers who found the child expressed “overwhelming horror” at her living conditions.
The mother admitted four counts of child cruelty. She claimed fear and denial after an unplanned birth drove her actions, but Judge Everett condemned her calculated secrecy.
The child, now beginning to recover, faces long-term challenges due to her ordeal.
Read Also