BRITISH WOMAN SENTENCED FOR HIDING DAUGHTER IN DRAWER FOR THREE YEARS

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British Woman Sentenced for Hiding Baby Daughter in Drawer for 3 Years

By Will Reid

Nov 27, 2024 6:10 PMTags

 

Content warning: This story discusses child cruelty.

 

A woman in England will serve prison time after hiding her baby daughter in a drawer for nearly three years, according to authorities.

 

The woman was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison Nov. 26 after pleading guilty to four charges of child cruelty in October, according to a press release from the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service.

 

The release stated that the mother, whose identity was not made public, delivered the baby at her Cheshire home in March 2020 and kept the birth a secret from family and friends. She eventually placed the child in a drawer under her bed, occasionally changing her diapers and feeding her soggy cereal through a medical syringe, per the organization.

 

“When the mother went out with her other children or to work, the child was simply left to fend for herself,” Senior Crown Prosecutor Rachel Worthington said in the release. “This child has never had a birthday present, a Christmas present or anything to recognize these days. She’s had no interaction with any of her siblings.”

 

The child was eventually found in February 2023 after a partner of the mother’s heard what sounded like a baby and followed the noise. Upon making the shocking discovery, police and social workers were called to the residence, according to CPS.

 

At the time, the organization found the toddler could not crawl, walk or talk, and had a variety of health conditions including a cleft lip and a significant rash. A social worker involved in the case described the situation as an “overwhelming horror.”

 

“Having been a social worker since 2006, I have never experienced such an extreme case of blatant child neglect and cruelty,” the social worker testified in court, per CPS. “The mother showed no remorse or emotion which I found extremely difficult to comprehend."

 

The mother said she had been in an abusive relationship with the child’s father, according to CPS, and did not want to tell him about the pregnancy.

 

“What this child has experienced in its short lifetime is simply unimaginable,” Detective Constable Rachel di Nicola said, per Cheshire Police, “and how anyone can allow a child to suffer in that way is beyond belief.”

 

Despite the child’s significant developmental delay, di Nicola said she showed signs of developmental progress within weeks of being taken into care, and her condition has seemingly continued to improve.

 

“We have all been amazed by the way the child has recovered since they were discovered,” di Nicola added, “and we hope that this recovery continues.”