Drunken carer left two-month-old baby on her own, Leeds Crown Court told

The youngster, who was just 51 days-old at the time, was placed in her baby seat all day in a soiled nappy and left to go hungry while the man went to a neighbour’s house to drink.

The horrified mother called the police when she got home from work.

The 25-year-old defendant, who cannot be named to protect the identity of child, had been left in charge of the youngster on June 5 last year, Leeds Crown Court was told.

The mother called him at 3.20pm that afternoon and suspected he had been drinking.

She rang him two hours later and was worried because he was slurring.

Prosecutor Catherine Duffy said the man had gone to a neighbour’s home in Castleford.

Concerned that he was in charge of the baby, the neighbour kept reminding him. He went back to check, but would continue to return to the neighbour’s home.

When the mother arrived back from work, she found the man sat in the back garden while the distressed baby was still in her seat inside the house.

A pillow had been placed on her chest to prop up a bottle of milk.

The baby was biting her hand, indicating that she was hungry.

The mother called the emergency services and her father, but when he arrived the defendant came out with a carving knife and ran towards him shouting that he was going to kill him, before slashing at him.

He fortunately missed and the man quickly left the area.

The baby was taken to hospital where she drank three bottles of milk one after the other, but luckily there were no other health concerns.

The man was arrested and gave no comment.

He later admitted a charge of neglect, threatening unlawful violence and possession of a kitchen knife.

He also admitted charges of drug dealing in Wakefield city centre after CCTV caught him with wraps of cocaine and cannabis in September 2020.

Mitigating on his behalf, Jayne Beckett said the man was effectively homeless and was selling drugs for food.

She said he had be began taking drugs and drinking heavily, which is what led to him neglecting the baby.

She said: “He can’t excuse that in any way.

"He can only express his remorse. He has fallen by the wayside at the age of 25.”

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told him: “It’s quite clear you were drunk and you had forgotten there was a very young child in your care.

"You left her by herself. She was not in a good place.

"For that child to be kept in her seat the whole of the day with no attention paid to her other than putting a pillow on her chest, there was nothing that you had done.

"Her nappy was soiled and she was in discomfort.

"Fortunately, nothing long lasting was caused to her. It was sheer good fortune nothing happened to her.”

He jailed the man for 29 months.