Woman sentenced to over 7 years in prison for hiding baby in drawer for 3 years
A woman will serve more than seven years in jail for keeping her baby in a drawer for three years.
In a press release, the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service said that the mother from England "hid the birth of her baby girl from her family and friends."
The woman welcomed the toddler, who was born with a cleft palate, in 2020. From time to time, she would feed her through a medicine syringe and change her diaper.
The victim was discovered by her mother's partner by accident in 2023, when he went to the toilet and heard a noise that sounded like a baby. He decided to follow it, and immediately alerted the police after finding the baby "clearly malnourished" and with "matted hair."
The mother told authorities that she had been in an abusive relationship with the baby's father and wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret.
Police said that the toddler's growth and physical and mental development was "severely impacted" by the "lack of care, attention and food and the restrictions of a life spent in a drawer."
"She could not crawl, walk, talk or make any communicative noises and made repetitive 'self-soothing' movements, such as rocking," they said.
"She was also significantly malnourished, unkempt, dehydrated, she had an untreated cleft lip and palate, swollen abdomen, significant nappy rash, and poor muscle bulk," they added. "She also had floppy limbs, swollen feet in an abnormal position and redness to the outer limbs. At the age of 35 months her development was markedly delayed and was the equivalent to that of a 10-month-old."
According to authorities, the baby has been making progress since she was rescued, and has been "vocalizing, seeking adult comfort and crying to make her needs known."
She has likewise had two surgeries to rectify the cleft palate, though she would still need further procedures for it.
The mother pleaded guilty to four charges of child cruelty on Oct. 9. She was sentenced to a total of seven years and six months in prison on Nov. 26.
