A WARRANT has been issued for the arrest of a South Cumbria mum, facing sentence for drunken child cruelty crimes, after she failed to attend court twice in a week.
The woman, who is aged in her 30s and based in Kendal, had been present at Carlisle Crown Court early last month when she entered guilty plea to three charges.
She admitted three child cruelty offences involving a girl and boy both aged under 16 who – court papers have shown – were “wilfully assaulted” in a manner likely to cause the youngsters “unnecessary suffering or injury to health”. The charges arise out of offences on separate occasions during September and October last year while she was drunk.
The woman, who can’t be named to protect the identity of the children, was due to have been sentenced by a judge on Monday this week. However, the hearing was postponed after it emerged the woman had mistakenly got on a southbound train heading for Manchester instead going north to Carlisle.
Recorder Eric Lamb adjourned the case until today (FRI) for the woman to attend but she again failed to appear at the appointed time.
Asked by the judge whether any reason had been given for the woman’s non-attendance, her barrister Sarah Magill replied: “None, Your Honour.”
As a result, the prosecution applied for a warrant without bail to be issued. Recorder Lamb agreed to the request, saying: “The defendant has failed attend for the second time this week and there is no explanation before the court as to why that should be so.”
That means the woman is now liable to be arrested by police and brought to court in custody.
