Mother who neglected her daughter, 14, so badly she had six teeth removed and could barely walk because of the untreated fungus on her feet has walked FREE from court

Judge Christopher Critchlow said it was in the 'best interest' of the child for her to remain with her mother

A mother who neglected her daughter to the point that she had to have teeth removed and could not walk properly because of fungus on her feet has dodged jail.

In what a social worker defined as 'one of the worst cases of neglect I have seen in 30 years', the now 14-year-old child also lived in a mould-covered room.

A judge said he had wanted to lock up the mother from Redhill, Surrey, because of the severity of the physical and emotional neglect suffered - but a family court judge had already ruled the teenager should stay with her mother as it was 'in her best interests'.

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, opted to home school the child from the age of four up until she was around 11 years old before the neglect came to light, Guildford Crown Court heard.

During this period, the 41-year-old fed her a poor diet and failed to look after her welfare.

The court heard that on June 19, 2014, the girl was taken to hospital where a doctor voiced concerned about the level of decay in her mouth.

Prosecutor Edward Culver said the teenager was checked after a referral was made to social services. 

'They noticed her nails were of concern. The toe nails on both feet were too long. Her big toes were discoloured and distorted.

'There were also hairs growing on the toes because of fungus and she was struggling to walk because of the difficulties she was having with her toes.

'On August 16 2014 she had to have nine fillings and six extractions of teeth which were beyond saving as a result of the decay.

'She now has a persistent gap where they were removed.'

The court heard that the girl's mother was arrested and interviewed on July 28 2014 where she denied responsibility, claiming her daughter refused to go to the dentist.

With regards to her daughter's foot, she said she thought the horrific complications were a result of a bite.

However, on the first day of her trial, she admitted one count of child neglect.

Mr Culver told Judge Christopher Critchlow that a family court judge had ruled the daughter was better off staying with her mother, under the condition that the mother co-operated with local authority social workers to improve her parenting.

The judge said it 'beggared belief' that the girl had avoided going to school for seven or eight years and nobody had found out about it.

Joy Merriam, defending the mother, said that her child had recently started school and was making 'very good progress'.

A social worker defined it as 'one of the worst cases of neglect I have seen in 30 years' after hearing that the child was forced to live in a mould-covered room, had terrible tooth decay and fungus growing on her feet

Sentencing, Judge Critchlow said it was a case of 'physical and emotional neglect' with 'no discipline' - but decided against imprisoning the mother.

'This is a very rare and unusual case, but the county court has decided that the best interest of the child is to remain with her mother,' he said.

'Despite this bizarre history, and seriously wrong history, I shall impose a suspended sentence with a 12 month supervision order.

'It is bizarre to write about what has happened to a child who, from the age of four until 2014 when she was nearly 12, has been at home being taught by you, and not attending any school.

'Your daughter had to have teeth removed and filled, proving a very bad diet, and her toe nails had a horrible fungal infection causing difficulty in walking for the child.

'One social worker said it is one of the worst cases in 30 years that she had ever seen. That is the gravity of this case.

'I have to say when I first read about this case I thought that it would have to be punished with imprisonment, but now the family court has investigated and said it is in the best interest of the child to be with you.'

The mother was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and was ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.