A mother who kept her three-year-old daughter locked in a drawer, leaving her severely malnourished and unable to walk or speak, has been jailed for seven years and six months. The child, born in a bathtub in Cheshire in March 2020, was never registered and had never seen daylight or another human face before her rescue in February 2023.
The discovery was made by a partner of the mother who heard a noise while using the toilet. He found the girl with matted hair, a cleft palate, and suffering from dehydration. A social worker who arrived at the scene described seeing the child rocking back and forth in a divan drawer, with the mother showing no emotion and stating matter-of-factly that she kept her there.
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police she had hidden the pregnancy from an abusive partner. She fed the child milky Weetabix through a syringe and changed her nappy infrequently, leaving her alone for hours while she worked or took her other children to school. On Christmas Eve, she left the child overnight in the drawer while staying with her parents.
Medical experts found the girl's development was equivalent to a ten-month-old baby, with poor muscle bulk, floppy limbs, and swollen feet. She could not crawl, walk, talk, or make communicative noises. A carer now looking after the child said she had to be taught to smile and did not know what food was, experiencing her first Christmas, first step, and first word in care.
Senior prosecutor Rachel Worthington of CPS Mersey-Cheshire stated that the child had never had a birthday or Christmas present and had no interaction with siblings. The Recorder of Chester, Steven Everett, called the mother's behaviour 'wicked beyond belief' and said she had starved the child of love, attention, and medical care. The mother pleaded guilty to four counts of child cruelty.
