A four-year-old girl was left frightened and crying on a bus as her intoxicated parents fell unconscious and passengers stepped in to comfort her. The bus driver agreed with passengers to drive straight to the police station, where the parents were arrested.
Incident on the bus to Pontypridd
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard that the mother had taken unprescribed medication to help her sleep but suffered from a "medical episode." She, her partner, who had been drinking alcohol, and their four-year-old daughter boarded a bus to Pontypridd.
While on the bus, the mother fell asleep while the father appeared intoxicated and rolled back and forth, in and out of consciousness. Prosecutor Nuhu Gobir said the four-year-old girl appeared "scared" and kept shouting "Mummy, mummy, mummy."
Passengers intervene
Passengers began speaking to the girl to calm her down while the bus driver called for an ambulance, as both defendants were "groaning and moaning" loudly. The girl was "frightened" and asked if her mother was going to wake up. She began crying as her mother fell into the aisle.
Passengers encouraged the father to hold the mother or put her seatbelt around her. He woke up, made a groaning noise, and fell back asleep. The decision was made between the bus driver and passengers to drive straight to Pontypridd bus station, which is opposite the police station.
Arrest and court proceedings
Police officers entered the bus and took the girl to safety as they approached the parents, who were in a slumped position. They took several attempts to rouse them, as they kept falling asleep. Mr Gobir said: "They did not appear to know where they were or the movements of their child."
The father said they had "been up all night" and the mother said: "I didn't get much sleep last night, I'm tired." The defendants were taken to Merthyr Tydfil police station, but the mother collapsed in a holding cell and was taken to Prince Charles Hospital.
The mother later said she had taken a red and white tablet at around 5.30am that morning to help her sleep and had suffered a medical episode. Both defendants pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the assault, neglect, ill treatment, or abandonment of a child.
Sentencing
The court heard the mother has 11 convictions for 15 offences, including public disorder, criminal damage, theft, and violence. The father was intoxicated when he turned up to Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing and was refused entry to the courtroom. Judge Lucy Crowther issued a warrant for the father's arrest, not backed for bail.
In mitigation, the court heard the mother had self-medicated to deal with pain she was feeling, which was causing sleep disturbance. It was said that the defendant was in a "co-dependent and unhealthy" relationship with the father, which has now broken down.
Sentencing, Judge Crowther said: "Your four-year-old child was extraordinarily upset seeing both of you in that condition and having to be looked after by strangers. She was cold, tired and frightened." The mother was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to carry out a mental health treatment requirement and 12 sessions of a probation requirement.
