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This horrific news story was just beyond belief

(124 Posts)
Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 20:05:15

On the evening news was a report about a baby, a child, who had been found in a drawer under a bed where she had been kept by her mother for three years.
The child was malnourished, had never seen the light of day, her limbs deformed.
Other children living in the house were unaware of her existence.

A visitor to the house heard her crying and she was discovered when a social worker visited. She is now with foster parents, receiving the care, love and medical attention she needs.

The mother has been sentenced to prison.

I wept when I heard this and can barely type this without weeping. Police officers were weeping in court.

How could this happen in this country in the 21st century?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gz1dv8ly2o

surfingsal Tue 26-Nov-24 20:11:33

Allira we saw the same report it is heart breaking , I do find it heard to understand how no one in the family never heard anything or were a tiny bit suspicious that something was going on , thank goodness for the visitor . It will take me a long time to stop thinking about the poor little girl and I hope the mother has a hard time of it in prison

MissAdventure Tue 26-Nov-24 20:12:43

More lessons to be learned, I expect.

ordinarygirl Tue 26-Nov-24 20:13:06

I find the story to be horrific and presume the child was hidden due to her cleft palate
the lack of nutrition will have badly affected her development
but one question is how did the woman hide her pregnancy from her partner?

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 26-Nov-24 20:14:08

Heartbreaking. Beyond belief. Cruelty of the most wicked kind.

Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 20:15:56

Just dreadful, isn't it.
That poor child, thank goodness she was rescued.

Fleurpepper Tue 26-Nov-24 20:17:01

so so unbelievably ... can't find the words.

merlotgran Tue 26-Nov-24 20:18:49

It’s so horrific it doesn’t seem real. How on earth will the poor little mite recover from such brutal treatment?

Jeanathome Tue 26-Nov-24 20:20:40

How many more out there? And how many more neighbours not reporting screaming children ( the Sara case)

Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 20:27:57

Jeanathome

How many more out there? And how many more neighbours not reporting screaming children ( the Sara case)

I've never heard anything like this before.
It is so difficult even to think about it.

The other children in the family were living a normal life, going to school etc.
Just why?

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 26-Nov-24 20:30:03

Could she maybe (hopefully) have little to no memory of this time in her life? One can only hope so.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 26-Nov-24 20:31:53

Allira could it have been because she had a cleft palate? ‘Different’ meaning her mother excluded her because of her deformity.

Iam64 Tue 26-Nov-24 21:11:22

Allira

Jeanathome

How many more out there? And how many more neighbours not reporting screaming children ( the Sara case)

I've never heard anything like this before.
It is so difficult even to think about it.

The other children in the family were living a normal life, going to school etc.
Just why?

Children’s memories tend to start really abiut age 7, pre age three, we are unlikely to have memories. What this little girl will have is stunted development in all areas I imagine. Reading about her ‘ life’ is heartbreaking. She must have learned that crying brought no comfort. So damaging to her development - unimaginable to understand how anyone could do this.
Was she even registered as having been born ? If no one knew about her, how could she be protected

valdavi Tue 26-Nov-24 21:22:29

She couldn't have been registered. I guess it's one of those where we will never know the full story. It was obviously a concealed pregnancy & birth, so there was something going on before the cleft palate.
It's a wonder she survived, unimaginable to deprive a baby like that.

Louella12 Tue 26-Nov-24 21:23:28

She told officers the child was "not part of the family".

Whatever that means.

Truly shocking. Let's hope she can now flourish over time

Aveline Tue 26-Nov-24 21:27:38

The more I think about the worse it seems. This poor wee girl had never seen the light of day apparently. So much developmental damage re physical and mental abilities. It's nice that her current foster parents want to adopt her. She really deserves to have dedicated and living support from people who really want her. Just wish we could all send her presents or do something to convey our good wishes.

Aveline Tue 26-Nov-24 21:28:05

Loving support not living!

Jane43 Tue 26-Nov-24 21:28:34

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Could she maybe (hopefully) have little to no memory of this time in her life? One can only hope so.

She is five now apparently, with foster parents and has learnt to walk, talk and smile, the last bit devastated me. Thankfully most people remember little of their life before the age of four.

Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 21:33:10

Was she even registered as having been born ?
No, she can't have been.

It's a wonder she survived
It is! In those conditions and surviving on such an extremely limited diet. Let's hope, having survived that horrendous start, she can make progress and live a more normal life in the future.

Whatca terrible shock for the social worker who found her.

Freya5 Tue 26-Nov-24 21:38:00

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Allira could it have been because she had a cleft palate? ‘Different’ meaning her mother excluded her because of her deformity.

Gross neglect and cruelty, I wept.
Absolutely no excuse for this appalling behaviour towards this innocent baby.

HousePlantQueen Tue 26-Nov-24 22:21:14

I was truly shocked when I saw this on the news, I can't imagine the trauma suffered by the social worker and police who found the child and saw the extent of the cruel neglect. Somehow neglect doesn't seem a strong enough word....

Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 22:28:56

Somehow neglect doesn't seem a strong enough word....
Sheer deliberate cruelty.

As time went on, the mother went to work and took her other children to school and left the child in the drawer, alone for hours on end.

Within two weeks of her admission to hospital, the child was vocalising, seeking adult comfort and crying to make her needs known. She has continued to make progress and has been operated on twice to rectify the cleft palate. However, she still requires further surgery.

www.cps.gov.uk/mersey-cheshire/news/mother-jailed-hiding-her-child-drawer-three-years

Kate1949 Tue 26-Nov-24 22:38:30

Shocking. We've had so many of these cases. However for some reason the Sara Sharif case has really got to me. I shouldn't have read it.

Allira Tue 26-Nov-24 22:41:13

This baby was left like a non-person. It is just so appalling.

When I first heard the news I thought it was a three week old baby but, realised, when found, she was nearly three and had known nothing else.

Sweetpeasue Tue 26-Nov-24 22:43:48

Could barely believe this , when I heard the news.
Surely others in the house heard something.
Truly horrific .I sincerely hope the child concerned will have a loved and comfortable life with her new parents.
It's so terrible, I have no words to describe how I feel.