Wales News Service
A mother who left her seven-month-old baby at home for an hour every day has been spared jail after a judge concluded even the Prime Minister David Cameron left his child in a pub.
Aysiea Mahroof, 27, left her daughter while she took her older children on the daily school run. Her daughter would be left asleep or playing in her cot.
When police went to her house they found the doors locked and the baby in her cot with no other adult at home. She told them she didn't realise it was illegal (or just plain irresponsible?).
Mahroof admitted a single charge of child neglect after leaving her daughter locked inside alone between April 1 and June 15 this year.
Today Judge Vivian Manning-Davies told Mahroof her conviction for child neglect was similar to David Cameron forgetting his eight-year-old daughter Nancy after a family Sunday lunch in a village pub near Chequers three months ago.
The Prime Minister presumed that Nancy was with his wife Samantha, while she thought their daughter was with him All the time she was in the pub's loo.
Judge Manning-Davies at Swansea Magistrates court said: "A parent makes mistakes in relation to children. I include myself in that statement.
"Recently, by way of an example, the Prime Minister left his own daughter in a pub."
Mahroof left her daughter for 40 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes each afternoon while she did the school run with her two older children.
A concerned neighbour tipped-off police after seeing her leave her house in Swansea every day without the baby.
The young mother told officers she could not manage to get the baby's buggy up and down the steps outside her house. And she claimed she had no family help after being cut off by them because she refused to enter into an arranged marriage.
Mahroof wept in court as she admitted a charge of child neglect which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
But Judge Manning-Davies gave her a community order with 12 months supervision saying her only motive was to take her children to school.
He told the tearful mother: "What this case is not, like so many in court, is that you left children for only self interest.
"In that situation, I would be sentencing you to a term of imprisonment. But this is not a case of you being an uncaring mother, quite the contrary."
Speaking after the case, Mahroof, whose older children are seven and five, said she hadn't realised leaving her baby alone was illegal.
She said: "When I took my two children to school my heart was pounding when I did it. But I thought I was keeping her safe.
"No mother wants their child harmed but I didn't realise it was the law not to leave them. I will never ever do that again.
"I adore my baby more than anything. She is a bright light for me and without her I wouldn't be able to breathe.
"I want to thank the judge for understanding my feelings and what I am going through."
What do you think?
A jail sentence would be too harsh, but surely all parents who've struggled to do the school run or just get out of the house (including negotiating steps) with a baby and older children must be appalled by this?
And what about comparing a daily routine to David Cameron's one act of forgetfulness?