Falkirk court hears how mum failed to take her burned child, 6, for medical treatment

The mother, 23, sent her child – who was still in pain – to school two days after the incident and teachers who subsequently saw the injury alerted the authorities.

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having admitted wilful neglect and ill treatment of her six-year-old child at her address in the Falkirk area between February 17 and February 20 last year.

The charges stated the woman failed to seek professional medical advice and treatment for her child who sustained a burn to their leg and body.

Ann Orr, procurator fiscal depute, said: “Matters came to light when the accused’s child was at school. The children were sitting on the floor and the teacher saw the child was sitting with their leg straight out.

"The child said they had hurt their leg and the teacher saw it appeared to be burned and infected. The child said a cup had fallen on their leg.”

The injury – which stretched all the way from the child’s buttock to their knee – was brought to the attention of the head teacher and then social work, with police eventually getting involved.

The procurator fiscal depute said: “The accused said her child had run into her while she was holding a cup of tea and some of it had fallen onto the child’s leg. She was asked why she had not taken the child to the minor injuries unit.

"She said she was told not to.”

The child’s injuries were looked at by medical staff after the matter had been brought to the attention of social work and it was ascertained they had suffered a significant thermal injury to five per cent of their body.

The mother later changed her story, stating her father had given her advice on what to do with her child’s injury – treat it with Sudocrem and bandage it.

Medical professionals stated it was a mistake not to seek medical attention for the child, who has fortunately now made a full recovery.

Defence solicitor Stephen Biggam said: “The child has been returned from foster care to her on the basis her mother now lives with her and the child.”

Mr Biggam said it was a “very bad decision” on his client’s part not to seek medical attention and instead listen to the advice of her unqualified father.

“Having viewed a photograph of the injury, I cannot understand why they didn’t go to hospital.”

He added his client did have issues with “capacity” and there was a “great deal of reliance on her family”, specifically her parents.

The court heard the mother was a first offender.

Sheriff Alison Michie said: “It almost defies belief that when your six-year-old child suffered an injury like this you would not have sought medical care and then sent your child to school when they were pain from their injury.”

She placed the mother on a supervised community payback order for 12 months with the condition she carry out 180 hours of unpaid work over that period.