Mother who left children in car in 40C heat given community order - The Guardian

A mother with a drug problem who left her three children in a car in temperatures of 40C was given a community order on Monday.

The children, aged between two and eight, were left for 45 minutes in the vehicle in Carlisle, Cumbria, and repeatedly sounded the car horn to attract attention.

Kelly Langham, 26, of Carlisle, told Carlisle magistrates she thought she would only be a few minutes in Cash Converters, a city centre pawnbrokers. She left the car windows slightly open but did not appreciate how high the heat could rise.

A member of the public phoned police when he heard the horn in Chapel Street on 4 July and went to investigate.

He found the children in the small saloon car. The distressed baby was strapped into a seat.

The youngsters did not require hospital treatment but were said to have been traumatised. Langham arrived back at the vehicle shortly after police were called.

The chairman of the bench, Sally Metcalfe Gibson, ordered Langham to pay £50 costs at a rate of £5 from her benefits. She was also given a one-year community order, to help her develop better parenting skills, and a six-month drug treatment order.

Metcalfe Gibson said: "This was a serious offence but you are a person of good character with no previous convictions. You have had significant problems coping with the absence of your partner, three young children to care for, the lack of secure housing and your drug use."

When arrested, Langham told police she had taken amphetamine. Police later found a small amount of the substance on her kitchen windowsill. Langham said she had become dependent on the drug because of depression.

Her solicitor, Claire Kirkpatrick, told the court her client did not intend to leave her children in the car for so long in "dangerously high heat" and her thinking was "not how it should have been".

She said: "This has been a wake-up call for her. She has significant problems for someone who is a single parent of 26 with three young children."

Last month, Langham pleaded guilty to three counts of wilful child neglect or ill-treatment and possession of amphetamine. Magistrates warned they could not rule out a jail sentence. The court was told social services were now involved but the children appeared to be healthy and happy.

Speaking outside court, Detective Inspector Kim Fulton said: "This case sends out a stark reminder that the interior of a car will get tremendously hot at this time of year. Kelly Langham made a serious error of judgment which today resulted in her receiving a community-based sentence. Even with the windows slightly wound down, the temperature got dangerously hot. This and the fact she left her children unattended for 40 minutes left them at risk of serious harm. Thankfully, the actions of a member of public prevented them from coming to more serious harm."