Woman who left deaf and blind girl outside in Big Freeze is spared jail

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Woman who left deaf and blind girl outside in Big Freeze is spared jail - The Daily Record

A WOMAN who left a six-year-old deaf and blind girl outdoors overnight in shivering temperatures was shown mercy yesterday.

Kate Harper abandoned the child strapped in a pram outside her home wearing just socks and a dressing gown, then fell asleep in a house nearby.

She had taken the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to a fireworks party in King's Park, Glasgow, last Guy Fawkes night.

But it soon turned into a boozing session and, when the 26-year-old took the youngster back home, she found she had forgotten her keys and left the girl outside to return to her sister's house.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard temperatures that night fell to 3C and a school bus driver, who had come to collect the girl the next morning, found her with blue lips, suffering hypothermia.

The pram had tipped over and the child was shivering in it with her face pressed against the stone stairs at the front door.

The girl was treated for hypothermia at Glasgow's children's hospital at Yorkhill.

Mistake Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell yesterday told Harper her conduct had put the girl's life in danger and was "unacceptable and reprehensible".

He added: "But I am satisfied that this very serious crime can be properly regarded as an isolated one."

He deferred sentence for three months for Harper's good behaviour.

At an earlier hearing, Harper, from King's Park, admitted abandoning the girl outside her home last November 6. Ross Yuill, defending, said Harper had received abuse from neighbours after the incident.

He added: "She says it was the biggest mistake of her life."
 
I remember this story from a while back.

Is the girl still in her custody is what I am wondering.

Leaving a 6 year old child outside in the cold is not a mistake. It is pure idiotic!!
 
I can't believe she got off with no penalty. Also I hope she is never involved in childcare again!
 
Why do parents get drunk around their kids anyway, I mean if you are to watch a kid you should be sober. Also it's obivious neglect I mean you totally left your kid outside how do you do that. Should lose custody especially when your kid is relying on you for guidance.
 
Is this news from Glasgow, Scotland? If it is. I really don't understand why a six year old girl with blindness and deafness had to be abandoned and left out in the cold freeze outside like that. That is pure abuse and torment for the girl who was helpless and need an adult to take care of her. I know that she is suffering from cold exposure and blue lips with hypothermia and I am very piss off at what happen to her. The woman should have jail time and not because of her mistake but I think she did that on purpose for the sake of being drunk or don't remember that she has a six year old girl (don't know if the young girl is related to the woman as her mother). What is wrong with Scotland law? I know that every country is different than ours like Canada or United States, but that is a very cruel way to treat a deaf and blind child out in the cold like that. :ugh: :(
 
It's cruel to treat any child like that. The fact she was deaf and blind just makes it worse.

:mad2:
 
That woman needs a night out in the freezing cold without warm clothes as a punishment.
 
Maybe sticking her ass in my freezer overnight would do the trick!...Can't believe they let her off with a little "slap" on the hand!
 
Bottesini said:
It wasn't the mother. It was just a carer.
Click to expand...

How the heck did you know if she is the child carer like a foster mother or is that the real mother? It did not mentioned anything in the article of who the woman is. There is no name for the little girl, only the woman's name, Kate Harper. If she is temporarily taking care of the little blind and deaf girl, then she should not forget her when she forgot her keys and just bring the little girl over to her sister's house. Heaven forbids, she should know better and that is no excuse for her to do that to the poor little girl and abandon her. That is a cruel humanity. :roll: :mad:
 
Bebonang said:
How the heck did you know if she is the child carer like a foster mother or is that the real mother? It did not mentioned anything in the article of who the woman is. There is no name for the little girl, only the woman's name, Kate Harper. If she is temporarily taking care of the little blind and deaf girl, then she should not forget her when she forgot her keys and just bring the little girl over to her sister's house. Heaven forbids, she should know better and that is no excuse for her to do that to the poor little girl and abandon her. That is a cruel humanity. :roll: :mad:
Click to expand...

I read the original article where it told about the babysitter.

Here is is with a link.

Babysitter abandoned deaf and blind child
Scotland Staff



Kate Harper had taken the child to a fireworks party

A disabled girl, 6, almost died after being left outside overnight by her babysitter in temperatures just above freezing, a court was told yesterday.

The child, who is deaf and blind, was strapped into her pram wearing just socks and a housecoat and left by Kate Harper who went to sleep after a drinking session in a nearby house.

Harper, 26, had taken the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to a fireworks party in Kingspark, Glasgow, on Guy Fawkes night last year.

As Harper took the girl back to her house she realised that she had forgotten her keys and abandoned the child outside. She returned to her sister’s house to collect the keys and went to sleep.

A school bus driver discovered the child, who was suffering from hypothermia, the next morning.

Harper admitted abandoning the child on November 6 last year at the High Court in Glasgow. She will be sentenced next month.

Tony Quigley, for the prosecution, told the court that Harper had taken the child to her sister’s house which is in the same street for the fireworks party at about 6.30pm. “At about 8pm the accused and her sister and various other family members started drinking,” he added.

“Then at about 1.30am, Miss Harper left the party with the girl to return to her own home. At the time she left, the girl was wearing small cotton socks, a nappy and a child’s dressing gown. When the accused arrived at her home address she realised that she did not have her keys and couldn’t gain access to the house.

“She then decided to go back to her sister’s to get the keys and as there was a relatively short distance between the houses she left the child at the front door. Unfortunately what happened was that the accused went inside her sister’s and got into bed and fell asleep which meant that the child was still in the pram outside her house further down the street.”

The court was told that a bus driver and classroom assistant arrived just before 8.30am the next morning to take the girl to school where she receives supported learning.

Mr Quigley said: “They saw the pram which had tipped over and noticed that the child was in it with her face pressed against the stone stairs outside the house.

“She was shivering and her lips were blue. They formed the view that she was inappropriately dressed for the weather. They immediately called for an ambulance and the police.”

As paramedics treated the girl, Harper was spotted walking down the street. Police officers spoke to her and she told them she had very little recollection of what had happened the night before.

She was taken to Aitkenhead Road police station and later admitted to abandoning the girl.

The child was taken to Yorkhill Hospital where doctors treated her for hypothermia and bruising from the straps of the pram.

Mr Quigley added: “The circumstances were such that doctors believed there was a danger to the life of the young girl.”

The court was told that the Met office estimated the temperature that night to be about 3C.

Ross Yuill, for the defence, described the case as “tragic”.

Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell deferred sentence for background reports
Click to expand...

Babysitter abandoned deaf and blind child - Times Online
 
Thank you, Bott, for giving me the extra article about what happen between the babysitter and the six years old blind and deaf girl. This is terrible. I don't understand why her mother or someone who is a caretaker would want a babysitter if she is drinking or drunk. That babysitter can not get away thinking that she can do that again with her or another child like that. I do hope the babysitter get a wake up call. She is one hundred percent wrong to abandon the young girl with no coat and hat and shoes to keep warm. She also need a blanket to keep her warm too. She is crazy. Tsk, tsk. :ugh: I am sorry for being so rile up about this article earlier. I am glad that the babysitter get sentence next month. I hope it is not a light sentence. :fingersx: :(
 
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