2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Sean Axtell)
An alcoholic mother who passed out on a sofa and almost suffocated her baby has been told she must “rid herself of this terrible addiction”. When police were alerted amid welfare concerns, officers entered a Kent property to discover the mum unresponsive and the child “squashed in the corner” of the settee. The details emerged on Wednesday at Canterbury Crown Court, where it was described how a “particularly distressed” officer believed he thought the baby was dead.
The court heard how, when they “picked the child up, it took a breath” and then the mother began to stir. As she was arrested and being escorted out of the property, she lashed out, kicking the officer who had picked up her baby. The mother, who cannot legally be named to protect the identity of her baby, pleaded guilty to child neglect and assaulting a police officer at a previous hearing.
Speaking on Wednesday, Judge Simon Taylor KC said: “Were it not for the police, there could have been very, very serious consequences of that neglect.” The court was told the mother has since stopped drinking vodka, but due to her entrenched addiction, according to pre-sentence reports, she still drinks “a can of beer or cider now and then”. She does not currently have custody of the child.
The author of the pre-sentence report stated the mum is unsuitable for a curfew or unpaid work by way of punishment due to ongoing mental health issues. The court heard she has “expressed remorse” over her actions and has since worked with the Forward Trust to help address her issues, for which she is receiving medication. Due to her condition, Judge Taylor said there was “no punitive” element of the sentence the court could hand down.
But he ordered her to pay £500 compensation to the officer at £100 a month and gave her a two-year community order. She must complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions alongside primary mental health treatment requirements. Judge Taylor told the mum, who appeared visibly anxious in the dock, she must “rid herself of this terrible addiction”.
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