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Birmingham mother left children home alone to fly to Australia | Birmingham mother left children home alone to fly to Australia |
(35 minutes later) | |
A mother-of-six who flew to Australia after telling her son she was going to the supermarket has been given a suspended jail sentence. | A mother-of-six who flew to Australia after telling her son she was going to the supermarket has been given a suspended jail sentence. |
The Birmingham woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, left her 14-year-old son in charge when she went to stay with a boyfriend. | |
The teenager called his grandparents, who alerted authorities. | The teenager called his grandparents, who alerted authorities. |
She pleaded guilty to six counts of wilful abandonment at Birmingham Crown Court. | She pleaded guilty to six counts of wilful abandonment at Birmingham Crown Court. |
'Refused to fly home' | |
Sentencing her to a six month prison sentence suspended for two years, Judge Murray Creed said it was "plainly a serious matter". | Sentencing her to a six month prison sentence suspended for two years, Judge Murray Creed said it was "plainly a serious matter". |
The court heard the woman's flight was paid for by a man she met online. | The court heard the woman's flight was paid for by a man she met online. |
On the day of her disappearance the woman left the house at 17:00 GMT. Her son called his grandparents, who do not live in Birmingham, four hours later. They alerted police and social services, who arrived at the house at 01:00 the following day. | |
The mother, a single parent, ignored messages from her parents and the police, deactivated her social media accounts and refused to fly home until her scheduled return six weeks later, the court heard. | |
She was arrested when she got back in February. | She was arrested when she got back in February. |
'Unaffected by experience' | |
The children, the youngest of which is three years old, are now living with their grandparents. | The children, the youngest of which is three years old, are now living with their grandparents. |
John Smitheman, defending the woman, told the court they were thriving academically and unaffected by the experience. | John Smitheman, defending the woman, told the court they were thriving academically and unaffected by the experience. |
He said the woman had been a good mother but had been in an abusive relationship. | |
He said the stress of bringing the children up alone had let to a "very unusual, almost unique circumstance". | |
The court was shown cards made by her children saying they were missing their mother. |