Mum avoids jail over child neglect while three times the drink drive limit

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found by police asleep in a bed at her Telford home at 4.30pm on September 6, 2021, with her young child next to her.

She admitted one charge of child neglect, one charge of possession of cannabis, and two charges of breaching bail conditions by failing to attend court hearings.

The court also heard that the woman had already been spared jail for a separate serious child neglect issue in another part of the country – on that occasion receiving a 16-week suspended prison sentence.

Shrewsbury Crown Court was told the room had a strong smell of cannabis, with cannabis, grinders, and half a cannabis cigarette also discovered.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the officers had been called by social services to the property in Blakemore after the woman failed to turn up to school to collect her other children.

Mr Jones told the court that the house was described as having a strong smell of urine and faeces, adding that the toddler was "lethargic" and "difficult to rouse" leading officers to be concerned that he had been affected by the cannabis.

He was taken to hospital where he was said to have gradually perked up.

The court was told he had been taken into the care of social services while the other children had been put in police protection when their mother was arrested.