Are there other cases of leaving children where the parents have been charged ?

[Jean-Pierre]

A caution is a formal warning that is given to a person who has admitted the offence. If the person refuses the caution then they will normally be prosecuted through the normal channels for the offence. Although it is not technically classed as a conviction (as only the Courts can convict someone) it can be taken into consideration by the Courts if the person is convicted of a further offence.
Cautions are covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and become spent immediately (apart from conditional cautions which will become spent after 3 months). Unless applying for particular types of work (see below), a person who has spent cautions does not have to disclose them to prospective employers, and employers cannot refuse to employ someone on the basis of spent convictions.

Almost correct Stephen.

[Mr Gray]

A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases,.......


so it is analternative to prosecution and therefore cannot be a prosecution...it is also for MINOR offences

[misty]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2721931/Jet-skier-rescues-girl-4-falls-asleep-body-board-drifts-half-mile-sea.html

A jet skier who saved the life of a little girl when she drifted half-a-mile out to sea on a boogie board says he only did what anyone else would have done.

Tony Barraclough was on the beach at Rozel, Jersey, when he heard Rebecca Chambers, the girl's mother, frantically screaming.

The 52-year-old hopped onto his jet ski and found little Jemima relaxing on her boogie board half-a-mile from the shore.

'I was putting the jet ski back on the trailer when I heard a woman shouting "Where is she?"' he said.

'I just told the woman to trust me, and that we would find her. The mother jumped on the back of the jet ski with me and we headed out of the harbour.

'I just did what anyone would have done.

'I'm no hero."

   

'When the mother said "I don’t know how to thank you’ I just told her ‘don’t let it happen again."'

The Virgin Atlantic pilot added: 'She was a hell of a long way out.

'She was four years old and couldn’t exactly wave for help.

'She would have been even further out if we hadn’t got to her when we did.

'Thankfully the jet ski is so fast we were able to find her and get her out really quickly. She was oblivious to what was going on.'

Mrs Chambers lost sight of the four-year-old when she went swimming in the sea, leaving her daughter in the shallow water with her siblings and cousins.

When she returned, the child was a speck on the horizon after drifting off on the board.

When Mr Barraclough and Mrs Chambers reached her, Jemima was oblivious to how far she'd gone.

Jemima and her three siblings spent three nights staying with their aunt Rachel Le Marquand and her two children at her home in Jersey last week.

The families had spent most of Wednesday afternoon playing in the sea at Rozel Bay when the women decided to swim around the harbour.

But when they returned to where Jemima had been playing with cousins Emily, ten, Jamie, six, and siblings Mollie, eight, Caspar, six, and Bruno, two, they realised she was missing.

Mrs Chambers, from Ashleworth, Gloucestershire, said: ‘I was only gone a short while and as I came back I realised Jemima wasn’t with the others on the shore line.

‘I asked the children where she was and they all pointed at this speck on the horizon. It honestly just looked like a buoy which was floating out at sea. She had gone well beyond the sea wall and out really far.

‘It was amazing. This man just appeared by my side as I was starting to panic and before I knew what had happened I was on the back of his jet ski, off towards her.

‘My heart rate is still coming down from it all. I still can’t believe how lucky we were.’ She said Jemima had not realised how much danger she was in.

‘She thought she hadn’t gone that far, when we got there I saw her eyes widen when she realised just how far the shore line was.

‘It could have been a lot worse had she realised how far out she was, she could have panicked, lost her board and who knows what might have happened.

‘She was never in any difficulty, I think she was just in a very relaxed state, she had her board, a life jacket and a wetsuit on.

‘I think the combination of high tides and strong sea winds swept her out that far. It apparently happened in a matter of minutes, one minute she was there, the next she wasn’t.’

Mrs Chambers said she now regrets leaving the children alone, albeit for just a few minutes.

‘I think I was lulled into a false sense of security because they were just paddling in the really shallow water,’ she said. ‘In hindsight, because of that I made the poor decision to go for a swim myself and my attention was not as focused as it should have been.

‘I don’t think Jemima’s realised the full impact of what could have happened, she was more excited about the jet ski ride. That was the highlight of her holiday. We are so thankful to that man, it could have been so much worse if it hadn’t been for him.

‘I realised when I got back to the shore and made sure she was OK ... I never thanked him properly. I’d love to be able to do that.’

Mrs Le Marquand, 43, who lives on Jersey, said: ‘We spotted this dot off the headland – we couldn’t even make out it was a body but it was her.

‘She’d floated right around the corner, far too far out to swim.

‘Luckily, there was a man on a jet ski nearby. He didn’t shout at us for being bad parents – he jumped on his jet ski with my sister and zoomed off.

‘I don’t think the kids really realised quite how serious the situation was. They were in fits of giggles and thought it was marvellous that their mummy was on a jet ski.’

No one is sure how far Jemima would have been swept out had she not been rescued so quickly, but her shaken mother said ‘the tide and the current were definitely against her’ .She added that although there had been a lifeguard on duty, ‘he was a little way from where we were’.

Mrs Chambers is a qualified paediatrician who now looks after her children full-time. Her husband, Mungo, a cosmetic surgeon, was at work while his family were at the seaside.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This was far worse than the Tapas 9's actions, IMO, yet the lady was not charged.

[Brietta]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2721931/Jet-skier-rescues-girl-4-falls-asleep-body-board-drifts-half-mile-sea.html

A jet skier who saved the life of a little girl when she drifted half-a-mile out to sea on a boogie board says he only did what anyone else would have done.

Tony Barraclough was on the beach at Rozel, Jersey, when he heard Rebecca Chambers, the girl's mother, frantically screaming.

The 52-year-old hopped onto his jet ski and found little Jemima relaxing on her boogie board half-a-mile from the shore.

'I was putting the jet ski back on the trailer when I heard a woman shouting "Where is she?"' he said.

'I just told the woman to trust me, and that we would find her. The mother jumped on the back of the jet ski with me and we headed out of the harbour.

'I just did what anyone would have done.

'I'm no hero."

   

'When the mother said "I don’t know how to thank you’ I just told her ‘don’t let it happen again."'

The Virgin Atlantic pilot added: 'She was a hell of a long way out.

'She was four years old and couldn’t exactly wave for help.

'She would have been even further out if we hadn’t got to her when we did.

'Thankfully the jet ski is so fast we were able to find her and get her out really quickly. She was oblivious to what was going on.'

Mrs Chambers lost sight of the four-year-old when she went swimming in the sea, leaving her daughter in the shallow water with her siblings and cousins.

When she returned, the child was a speck on the horizon after drifting off on the board.

When Mr Barraclough and Mrs Chambers reached her, Jemima was oblivious to how far she'd gone.

Jemima and her three siblings spent three nights staying with their aunt Rachel Le Marquand and her two children at her home in Jersey last week.

The families had spent most of Wednesday afternoon playing in the sea at Rozel Bay when the women decided to swim around the harbour.

But when they returned to where Jemima had been playing with cousins Emily, ten, Jamie, six, and siblings Mollie, eight, Caspar, six, and Bruno, two, they realised she was missing.

Mrs Chambers, from Ashleworth, Gloucestershire, said: ‘I was only gone a short while and as I came back I realised Jemima wasn’t with the others on the shore line.

‘I asked the children where she was and they all pointed at this speck on the horizon. It honestly just looked like a buoy which was floating out at sea. She had gone well beyond the sea wall and out really far.

‘It was amazing. This man just appeared by my side as I was starting to panic and before I knew what had happened I was on the back of his jet ski, off towards her.

‘My heart rate is still coming down from it all. I still can’t believe how lucky we were.’ She said Jemima had not realised how much danger she was in.

‘She thought she hadn’t gone that far, when we got there I saw her eyes widen when she realised just how far the shore line was.

‘It could have been a lot worse had she realised how far out she was, she could have panicked, lost her board and who knows what might have happened.

‘She was never in any difficulty, I think she was just in a very relaxed state, she had her board, a life jacket and a wetsuit on.

‘I think the combination of high tides and strong sea winds swept her out that far. It apparently happened in a matter of minutes, one minute she was there, the next she wasn’t.’

Mrs Chambers said she now regrets leaving the children alone, albeit for just a few minutes.

‘I think I was lulled into a false sense of security because they were just paddling in the really shallow water,’ she said. ‘In hindsight, because of that I made the poor decision to go for a swim myself and my attention was not as focused as it should have been.

‘I don’t think Jemima’s realised the full impact of what could have happened, she was more excited about the jet ski ride. That was the highlight of her holiday. We are so thankful to that man, it could have been so much worse if it hadn’t been for him.

‘I realised when I got back to the shore and made sure she was OK ... I never thanked him properly. I’d love to be able to do that.’

Mrs Le Marquand, 43, who lives on Jersey, said: ‘We spotted this dot off the headland – we couldn’t even make out it was a body but it was her.

‘She’d floated right around the corner, far too far out to swim.

‘Luckily, there was a man on a jet ski nearby. He didn’t shout at us for being bad parents – he jumped on his jet ski with my sister and zoomed off.

‘I don’t think the kids really realised quite how serious the situation was. They were in fits of giggles and thought it was marvellous that their mummy was on a jet ski.’

No one is sure how far Jemima would have been swept out had she not been rescued so quickly, but her shaken mother said ‘the tide and the current were definitely against her’ .She added that although there had been a lifeguard on duty, ‘he was a little way from where we were’.

Mrs Chambers is a qualified paediatrician who now looks after her children full-time. Her husband, Mungo, a cosmetic surgeon, was at work while his family were at the seaside.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This was far worse than the Tapas 9's actions, IMO, yet the lady was not charged.

"He didn’t shout at us for being bad parents – he jumped on his jet ski with my sister and zoomed off."

Thankfully in this case all worked out for the best with the man on the jet ski taking positive action to reverse a very bad situation which had arisen in a very short space of time.

I feel only this parent's horror as she realised the dot on the horizon was her little girl.

Despite repeated tragedies and the subsequent repeated warnings about the combination of beaches, shallow water, children and inflatables ... had the outcome been a disaster as it well might have been and as a result people took it upon themselves to heap abuse on the little girl's mother I would wonder at the mentality which allowed the delight in such apportioning of blame.

The little girl's fate was decided by a timely intervention by a stranger ... perhaps another little girl's fate was decided by an untimely intervention.  In both cases the margin of error was a very small one.

[G-Unit]

In the McCann case the parents weren't charged because the law in Portugal differs from UK law. Nevertheless leaving three children alone in an unlocked apartment is, in my opinion, unacceptable. I find it strange that supporters make comments such as these therefore;

You are an inspiration to all mothers and indeed to all women. Good luck. Xx

Donation by Anonymous on 22/05/15
£50.00

I think whoever wrote that is in complete denial about what good mothers do, and which women are inspiring.

[Brietta]

There are all levels of disgraceful parental behaviour ... none more so than reckless drunken driving with a child on board.

[G-Unit]

I return to my point. A mother who leaves her children in a situation about which she herself expressed doubts does not inspire me. A woman who then refuses to admit that she was wrong does not inspire me. Leaving children home alone is not acceptable in today's world, and if it had happened in the UK the police may well have acted.

There might not be a specific legal age to leave children alone but it’s safe to say babies, toddlers and young children should never be left alone, even if it’s just while you pop down the road. Even if they’re sleeping peacefully when you leave they could well wake up and get very upset when you’re not there to look after them.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/leaving-child-home-alone/

 

[misty]

Not by him, however. I return to my point. A mother who leaves her children in a situation about which she herself expressed doubts does not inspire me. A woman who then refuses to admit that she was wrong does not inspire me. Leaving children home alone is not acceptable in today's world, and if it had happened in the UK the police may well have acted.

There might not be a specific legal age to leave children alone but it’s safe to say babies, toddlers and young children should never be left alone, even if it’s just while you pop down the road. Even if they’re sleeping peacefully when you leave they could well wake up and get very upset when you’re not there to look after them.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/leaving-child-home-alone/

Even if you're there with them & have written instructions about what not to do, incidents can still happen.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3088190/Three-month-old-girl-died-left-baby-bouncer-hours-mother-slept-sofa.html

But her name isn't McCann so I doubt they'll be any backlash against her.

[Wonderfulspam]

I believe that Coral Jones was inspired by Kate, that would explain why she didn't bother practicing half decent parenting either.

Would you leave your 7 year old out on the streets?

I know I wouldn't, you never know who might be about, muggers, rapists,....

Re edited for context, by Wonderfulspam.

[misty]

http://www.cracked.com/article_20621_6-foreign-parenting-practices-americans-would-call-neglect.html


As the country that invented Toddlers & Tiaras and crack babies, the U.S. doesn't always have the best track record when it comes to raising our kids. But if you want to freak out a set of American parents, just let them see some of the habits that are considered routine in other countries. Because somehow the world's kids do just fine despite the fact that ..
Americans -- even ones from New York -- tend to freak out at the sight of unattended children, as a Danish tourist found out in 1997. While visiting the city, Annette Sorensen and her husband decided to eat at an East Village restaurant, but instead of hiring a babysitter or ordering takeout or, we don't know, maybe taking their child into the restaurant with them, they left their daughter parked in her stroller on the sidewalk.

Not one, but two different worried New Yorkers took the time to walk into the restaurant in hopes of finding the abandoned toddler's parents, begging whoever owned this child to just get her off the street. "The stroller alone is worth at least $30 in Times Square," they probably argued, New Yorkerly. The couple refused, leaving their baby outside for a whole hour while they enjoyed dinner. The locals called the cops, which was why the couple was arrested for child endangerment and lost custody of their kid for a day.
Here was their defense: It turns out that in the mom's hometown of Copenhagen, leaving your kid outside while you grab some dinner or a latte is as normal as not leaving your kid outside while you grab some dinner or a latte in New York.

The restaurants are small and smoky and crowded, and the sidewalk is as safe and unattended as the Muppet Baby nursery, apparently. Parents all over Europe have no problem littering the streets with the fruit of their loins.

This also explains why the New York situation wasn't an isolated incident -- a Swedish mom was gobsmacked (or whatever the Swedish version of that word is) when she was busted for leaving her kid outside a Tex-Mex restaurant in Massachusetts. Not only do European criminals not kidnap babies or their high-end strollers willy-nilly, European police are totally used to seeing kids out on the street unattended. "The child wasn't in danger and the mother claims she had an eye on things," one Stockholm cop told the press. You'd think the people who were the inspiration for the syndrome of sympathizing with your kidnappers would be a little more self-aware about how bad this looks. But you'd be wrong!
Ask a conscientious American mom about her baby's nap routine and she's probably going to mention the standard safety measures: laying junior on his back, keeping stray stuffed animals and blankets out of the crib so he doesn't suffocate, kissing the crucifix that hangs over the bed exactly 12 times so Jesus will keep the baby safe during his nap, and then keeping the baby monitor on and by your side while he sleeps. Ask Nordic women the same question and they'll say something along the lines of "Stick 'em outside" and then go back to being insanely beautiful.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just because certain elements in the UK disapprove of what the McCanns & other parents did in Portugal doesn't mean the world disapproves or classes it as neglectful.

[misty]

http://globalnews.ca/news/1842026/winnipeg-mom-found-not-guilty-after-leaving-child-home-alone/
WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg mom has been found not guilty of child abandonment after leaving her six-year-old son home alone for 90 minutes.

Court heard the mom went out in July 2013 to pick up some medication and visit some clients in her work as a health care aide.

The boy’s father spotted his estranged wife alone in her car and called the home and the boy answered.

The father then called police,who arrived to find the boy safe, sitting in front of the TV with some puzzles and art projects, eating a snack.

Officers described him as a bright, sociable kid and thought he was older than six, and said the house was clean with no immediate dangers in sight.

Judge Margaret Wiebe said while the mom’s decision to leave the boy alone showed poor judgment, the Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the boy was in any danger

[Carana]

I don't really see the point of this thread. Obviously, there will be cases in which parents have been charged.

If one googles hard enough, there will no doubt be cases of "parents" disappearing for days on end, leaving babies on filthy floors with hypodermic needles and an aggressive pitbull for company.

[misty]

I don't really see the point of this thread. Obviously, there will be cases in which parents have been charged.

If one googles hard enough, there will no doubt be cases of "parents" disappearing for days on end, leaving babies on filthy floors with hypodermic needles and an aggressive pitbull for company.

I think the point of it is to highlight to the "perfect parenting" brigade that the actions of the Tapas 9 were neither unique nor extreme.

[mercury]

I think the point of it is to highlight to the "perfect parenting" brigade that the actions of the Tapas 9 were neither unique nor extreme.

What can be more extreme than leaving three toddlers on their own and in an unlocked apartment open to a main road

[misty]

What can be more extreme than leaving three toddlers on their own and in an unlocked apartment open to a main road

Main road? Where were all the witnesses passing by in their cars?