Punishment for Mother Who Hid Her Daughter in a Drawer for the First 3 Years of Her Life

• A woman in Cheshire, England, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for hiding her little daughter in a drawer under the bed for the first three years of her life.
• The child hiding from friends and family was discovered in February 2023
• “What this child went through during his short life is absolutely unimaginable,” Rachel Di Nicola, from Cheshire Constabulary in England, said in a statement.

A mother in England has been sentenced for hiding her little daughter in a drawer under the bed for the first three years of her life.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison at Chester Crown Court in the north of England on Tuesday, November 26. Cheshire Constabulary And Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The CPS confirmed the decision came after the mother admitted four charges of cruelty to the child at a hearing on 9 October. Authorities identified the child as a baby girl, adding that she had been syringe-fed and left “alone for hours” hiding from family and friends.

“The charges relate to crimes that occurred between March 18, 2020 and February 18, 2023,” police said.

Police added that the boy was found hidden in his bedroom at an address in Cheshire in February 2023 and was immediately taken into care.

“After investigations, it was determined that the child was born in March 2020, but was kept secret and was never recorded,” the statement said. “Instead, the boy had spent most of his life hiding in the bedroom at the address, even sleeping in a drawer under the bed.”

“As a result of the woman’s actions, the child was severely underdeveloped, malnourished, and also had a number of medical conditions that were never treated,” police said. he added.

The CPS (which prosecutes all public prosecutions in England and Wales) said the girl was found after the mother’s partner, who was not usually allowed to go upstairs alone, heard the baby’s voice after returning to the property to use the property. bath.

“He followed the noise and discovered a child, almost three years old, with a cleft palate, matted hair, and clearly malnourished,” the CPS statement said. The statement was included.

CPS added that the mother told officers she was “in an abusive relationship with the baby’s father and did not want to tell him she was pregnant.”

The statement stated that “When the baby was examined by medical professionals, he was unable to crawl, walk, talk or make any communicative sounds, and was unable to make repetitive ‘self-soothing’ movements such as rocking,” and that he was “also significantly malnourished.” , was neglected, dehydrated, had an untreated cleft lip and palate, a swollen abdomen, severe diaper rash, and poor muscle mass.”

“He also had floppy limbs, swollen feet in an abnormal position, and a rash on his outer limbs. At 35 months of age, his development was markedly delayed and equivalent to that of a 10-month-old child,” CPS added.

One of the first social workers to arrive at the scene told the court they were “stunned by what I saw and extremely shocked to see a baby sitting in the drawer of the sofa looking at me”, according to the CPS statement.

“I looked at her (my mother) and said, ‘Is this where you hid it?’ “I asked. The mother actually answered, ‘Yes, it’s in the drawer.'” they added. “I was shocked that the mother showed no emotion and seemed fed up with the situation. I asked if anyone else had seen (the child)? (The mother) said no.”

“It became a huge horror that I was probably the only face that (baby) saw other than his mother,” they continued. “As a social worker since 2006, I have never experienced such blatant child neglect and cruelty. The mother showed no remorse or emotion, which I find extremely difficult to understand.”

“What this child went through during his short life is absolutely unimaginable and unbelievable how anyone could allow a child to suffer in this way,” Detective Constable, Rachel Di Nicola, said, according to the police statement.

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Senior Crown Prosecutor Rachel Worthington, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This child has suffered extreme neglect of his health, development and basic care needs since birth.”

“This kid hasn’t had any birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or anything to recognize these days. Worthington did not interact with any of his siblings,” according to the CPS statement. “He did not know daylight or fresh air and did not respond to his own name when he was first found.”

CPS said the boy “continues to make progress” and “has had two surgeries to correct the cleft palate” but “still requires further surgery.”