The girl was found in Cheshire, UK, last year, after a visitor heard something that sounded like sounds from an infant. When the visitor discovered the child – who had a cleft palate, tousled hair, and was clearly dehydrated – he called for help.
In court, the social worker who was first on the scene testified about the shock when she saw the girl, reports The Guardian.
I looked at her mother and asked: "Is this where you keep her?" The mother replied calmly: "Yes, in the drawer."
When asked if anyone else had ever seen the child, the mother replied no. According to the social worker, she seemed completely indifferent to the situation.
The girl had been born at home in March 2020 and was never registered. The mother fed her cereal mixed with milk using a syringe and changed her diaper, but otherwise provided no care or human interaction. For long periods, the girl was completely alone.
When the three-year-old was rescued, doctors compared her development to that of a ten-month-old infant, reports BBC. She could not walk, crawl, talk, or make any communicative sounds. She lacked muscle mass and had swollen feet twisted in an abnormal position.
She had never seen daylight or felt fresh air and did not respond to her own name, said prosecutor Rachel Worthington in court.
On Tuesday, the mother was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, announces Cheshire Police.
