A MOTHER who kept her baby daughter locked in a drawer under her bed for almost three years has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after the child was discovered in a severely neglected state.

The woman, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court in northwest England after pleading guilty to four counts of child cruelty.

According to the report by Cheshire Police published on their website, the toddler, who was found just weeks before her third birthday, was found in a state of extreme malnutrition, with matted hair, rashes, and untreated deformities.

The court heard that the child had been hidden from the woman's partner and her other children, who were unaware of the abuse.

In a separate report by CNN, Judge Steven Everett condemned the mother’s actions, calling the situation "a living death" for the child.

He stated that the mother had deprived her daughter of "any love, any affection, any proper attention" and subjected her to an unimaginable life of isolation.

He described the consequences of her actions as "catastrophic" for the child’s physical, psychological, and social development.

When the girl was discovered, she was taken to the hospital, where doctors found her severely malnourished and dehydrated.

She had only been fed cereal through a syringe and was left alone in the drawer when her mother was away or attending to other children.

The court heard that the girl had no social interaction and had been kept in a dark room with minimal care.

The child’s discovery came when the mother's partner accidentally found her in the bedroom after hearing noises.

He alerted family members, and social services later found the child in the drawer.

The mother showed little remorse, and in police interviews, claimed she had been unaware of her pregnancy and was "really scared" of giving birth.

The toddler, now in foster care, is slowly recovering, with reports indicating she is beginning to show signs of developmental progress.

The woman’s other children no longer live with her.(CMM)

• Tags
• # Child Abuse
• #Chester Crown Court
• #Northwest England
• #Child Cruelty
• #Foster Care