Mum denied own child food and took them with her to buy drugs, court hears

The mother is alleged to have an ‘inability to prioritise the children’s needs over hers’

A mum is fighting for her three children to be returned to her care but Cardiff family court has heard disturbing allegations about her behaviour. She is accused of taking one of her children with her to buy illegal drugs and denying the same child food.

All three children – the eldest of whom is a teenager and the youngest a toddler – are in care and Cardiff Council believes none should live with their mother. She disagrees and is battling in court for the two youngest to be immediately returned to her.

The mum accepts the eldest is not ready for this straight away and has instead suggested a gradual increase in contact. At the moment she is allowed supervised visits with all her children. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here

The council’s barrister, Catrin Jenkins, said there had been “longstanding” issues including the children being “repeatedly exposed” to domestic violence.

The mother had been unable to “protect the children from harm” and had at times failed to engage with services, according to the council.

The children were removed from the mum’s care after an incident involving the dad of one of the children. The eldest child made allegations of assault against both the mum and dad while they were all on holiday together.

The eldest claimed to have been “frequently subjected to verbal abuse” by the mum as well as having their privacy breached by the mum going through their phone.

They alleged the mum would use “derogatory language”, record them, and threaten to share the footage on social media if they did not behave.

The mum would “frequently” keep the eldest home from school to care for one of the younger children, the court heard.

The eldest also claimed they and their siblings had “regularly” witnessed domestic abuse involving the mother and two of the fathers.

A care and support plan was put in place by the council for the eldest to live with the mum, who had previously declared herself unable to manage the child’s behaviour but then changed her mind.

After a “physical altercation” with the mother, the eldest sought refuge at a grandparent’s home. While there the child made further claims about the mum.

They alleged the mum regularly used cocaine and cannabis, and would take the eldest with her to purchase illicit substances. They also claimed the mum would deny them food.

The mum was also alleged to have shouted abusive language while standing outside the grandparent’s home, which the eldest child found “deeply upsetting and frightening”.

The grandparent later claimed to have suffered “harassment and bullying” from both the mum and the eldest child. This led to them asking to be withdrawn from consideration as an alternative carer.

The eldest child’s school attendance was below 80% and one of the younger siblings’ was even lower. That sibling was described by their school as appearing “sad” in recent times.

Ms Jenkins said the two younger siblings were likely to have “witnessed the volatile relationship” between the mum and the eldest child, as well as the domestic abuse in the mum’s romantic relationships.

A psychological assessment of the mum found indications of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and a paranoid personality.

Experiencing domestic abuse had led to the mum viewing others as “potentially causing her further harm which she needs to be alert to and protect herself from”, according to the psychologist.

The assessment also found the mum had “limited” ability to understand the council’s concerns. “She projects blame onto others and appears to some degree blind to her own undesirable behaviour and characteristics,” it reads.

The mum declared use of a cannabis vape 203 times a week, as well as some cocaine use, which was supported by test results.

A parenting assessment highlighted concerns over the mum’s “dishonesty”, her tendency to be “pulled back into relationships”, and an “inability to prioritise the children’s needs over hers”.

When she had contact with her eldest child, the assessor observed “little emotional availability” from the mum.

The assessment concluded she would “continue to provide unreliable, inconsistent, unpredictable, unsafe, insecure and neglectful parenting to the children”.

One of the children has regular contact with their dad, including two recent overnight stays. The dad was previously sentenced to a suspended jail term for threatening behaviour towards the mum, who considers him dangerous and has made claims he is “capable of performing sexual acts” on their child.

The mum has not provided evidence of this and professionals decided it was not “appropriate to explore sexual harm given the lack of evidence”, said Ms Jenkins.

The council also noted that the mum had made false statements, including that the dad was a registered sex offender. She had also falsely claimed to be seeking refuge from an ex-partner who had moved to live beneath her, which was “impossible” given the geography of her house.

The dad admitted the relationship with the mum was toxic but claimed they were “violent to each other”. A social worker found the dad’s behaviour had improved in recent years and that he appeared able to prioritise his child.

He has been engaging with professionals and recent tests did not show “problematic” use of substances despite finding possible cannabis use.

The council’s position is that his child should be allowed to transition to his care. As for the other two children, the council believes they should be subject to care orders and remain in their current placements.

During the hearing at Cardiff family court, a felt screen was in place to prevent the mum and dad seeing each other.

The dad’s barrister, Rachel Carter, argued it would not be proportionate for the dad’s alleged domestic violence to be litigated, but District Judge Julian Hussell said it was necessary to consider the allegations for the mum’s case to be properly heard.

Danielle Lodwig, representing the mum, said her client accepted she would benefit from psychotherapy. She wants the children to be placed in her care while she undergoes therapy.

At one point the mum was visibly emotional as the judge said: “These are children who are struggling.”

After the case was adjourned, the mum spoke to WalesOnline outside the courtroom. She felt she had been punished more than the dad for his own violent and abusive behaviour.

She claimed he brutally beat her when she was pregnant and that he had shown “no remorse or accountability for anything he has done”.

She said: “I accept I’ve been irresponsible and naïve and made poor decisions. But only under coercion.”

The case will continue in February. If you are aware of an upcoming family court case in Wales that you think we should cover, you can contact us at conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk

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