The gruesome reason why a cruel mother kept her daughter in a drawer for almost three years has been revealed.
The abuse was so horrific it left officers in tears, and the judge said it “absolutely defies belief”.
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Drawer containing baby, stored under mother’s bed Credit: PA
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The child had not seen sunlight when it was discovered Credit: PA
The twisted parent – who even hid the child from his other children and his partner – told officers during the interview that the three-year-old girl “wasn’t part of the family”.
The child was so malnourished that he looked like a seven-month-old child.
She was born in March 2020 in the bathroom of her mum’s home in Cheshire and was never registered.
The infant was kept in a drawer on a divan bed in a bedroom at the address and fed Weetabix milk through a syringe.
The woman did not seek medical attention for the baby’s cleft palate.
Chester Crown Court heard the mum told social workers the child was the product of a past abusive relationship and she did not want the father to know about her existence.
The perpetrator – who cannot be named to protect the child’s identity – claimed she had no idea she was pregnant until she gave birth.
She described how she was “very scared” as she went into labour.
The baby never saw the light of day until she was found weeks before her third birthday.
She was found in the family home with disheveled hair, deformities and a rash.
A mother was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after admitting cruelty to a child.
Sion ap Michael, prosecuting, said: “They kept her in a drawer in the bedroom.
“She wasn’t taken outside, she wasn’t socialized, she wasn’t in contact with anyone else.”
The child was in the developmental age of zero to 10 months when he was taken to the hospital.
She was “significantly” malnourished and dehydrated, the court heard.
The baby was left alone while the mother took the other children to school, went to work and visited relatives for Christmas.
When her boyfriend started coming, mom left the baby alone in another room.
The boyfriend found the baby one morning when he returned to the toilet after the woman had left.
He heard a noise and went to one of the bedrooms, where he saw a baby.
The man left the home and informed family members – and social services rushed to the address.
The social worker found the baby in the bed drawer and asked the mother if she was keeping her daughter there.
The worker told the court: “She answered carelessly: ‘Yes, in the drawer.’
“I was shocked because the mother showed no emotion and seemed bitter about the situation.
“It became an overwhelming horror that I was probably the only other face the child had seen besides the mother’s.”
Two police officers were in tears as a “truly devastating” statement from the child’s foster carer was read to the court.
The carer said: “It became very obvious that she didn’t know her name when we called her.”
The mother claimed that she did not keep the baby in the drawer all the time and that she never closed it.
Sentencing, Judge Steven Everett said: “In my view, what you did absolutely defies belief. It was incredibly vicious.
“You deprived that little girl of any love, real affection, real attention.
“Every interaction with others, proper nutrition, much-needed medical care.
“You tried to control this situation as carefully as you could, but by sheer chance your terrible secret was revealed.
“The consequences for the child were catastrophic – physically, psychologically and socially.
“She is an intelligent little girl who may now be slowly coming back to life from what was almost a living death in that room.”
Matthew Dunford, defending, said there was an “extraordinary set of circumstances”.
He said the woman suffered from poor mental health and struggled during the Covid-19 quarantine.
Dunford added that the woman had a volatile relationship with the child’s father.
The woman wiped away tears as Dunford told the court that her other children no longer lived with her.
Last month, she pleaded guilty to four counts of child cruelty.
The charges reflected her failure to seek basic medical care for the child, abandonment, malnutrition and general neglect.
Senior CPS prosecutor Rachel Worthington said: “This child has never had a birthday present, a Christmas present or anything to identify with these days.
“She had no interaction with any of her siblings. She didn’t know daylight or fresh air.”
Worthington added: “She was not responding to her name when she was first found.
“The motive for the mother’s behavior is still unclear, but that is not the role of the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Our job is to bring those responsible to justice. That is now done.
“It is CPS’s sincere hope that the victim in this case will recover sufficiently to live life to the fullest.”
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Source: HIS Education