Southwest Sydney mother convicted for neglect of a child: court

A mother left her three children alone with access to a bong, a sharp knife and piles of animal faeces to go see her boyfriend. See why her lawyer described her actions as “horrendous and quite shocking”.

A mother from Sydney’s southwest pleaded guilty to neglect of a child or young person.

A mother from Sydney’s southwest left her three young children alone covered in human faeces with access to a bong and mouldy food to see her boyfriend, a court has heard.

The 26-year-old, who is currently unemployed, pleaded guilty to neglect of a child or young person and was convicted and sentenced to a community correction order for two years.

In documents tendered to Liverpool Local Court, police state the woman’s three children – aged between two and 11 – were left without adult supervision at an Heckenberg address about 9pm on October 9.

A short time later the children became aware and upset their mother had left and began crying out and banging loudly, prompting neighbours to contact police, police facts state.

When police arrived, the residence appeared in a “complete disarray, strewn with dirty clothing and rubbish/old food”.

A mother from Sydney’s southwest pleaded guilty to neglect of a child or young person.

“Police walked through the rooms, there was insufficient bedding for the amount of people at the residence,” police state. “The rooms were unkempt, with dirty clothes and human/animal faeces on the floor.”

Police state on further inspection of the living room“McDonald’s and KFC boxes with half eaten food were sighted throughout the living room”.

“Police sighted a sharp kitchen knife lying on the floor of the living room, creating a risk of harm to the children,” the facts state.

Officers also found piles of dirty clothes and animal faeces blocking the rear door and a used bong, which was accessible by the children, according to police.

On further inspection, police state they “checked the kitchen area, looking in the fridge, cupboards and pantry area which had no edible food” and the “fridge was covered in mould and smelt terrible”.

Police made the decision to remove the children from the premises and take them back to Green Valley police station due to concern for the children’s welfare.

According to police facts, on arrival at the station, police found the youngest child had a dirty diaper.

“Police changed the diaper, to which it was revealed that they had been in this state for a number of hours. The diaper was full and the child’s faeces had dried on their leg.”

Police later attended an address in Abbotsbury to locate the mother, where she was found seated on the floor of her boyfriend’s driveway.

The 26-year-old was sentenced to a community correction order for 2 years.

The woman, who cannot be legally identified, told police she was waiting for a taxi and could not provide a valid reason for not contacting police as requested, police state.

When asked several questions by police, the accused could not provide a valid reason for her actions or the state of the residence.

The woman’s lawyer told the court the facts are “horrendous and quite shocking”.

“I’ve had difficulty speaking with (the woman) trying to understand why she committed this offence.”

He said his client’s eldest child was at a friend’s house and she thought they would be returning once she left to see her boyfriend.

Magistrate Holly Kemp said the woman was “gravely mistaken” for leaving her children alone.

“You abandoned your responsibility as a mother and left your children to go and enjoy your boyfriend,” Ms Kemp stated.

“If you thought your eldest had the capacity to look after themselves and the youngest was two, you are gravely mistaken.”

The children remain in the care of their mother and other relatives interstate.