A childminder who left children unsupervised in a garden and strapped others into prams has been sentenced to two years in prison. Amanda Mathewson, 55, admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Mathewson looked after far more children than the eight she was permitted, with 27 found at her home in Dunfermline, Fife, at one point. The offences took place at several addresses across the Scottish city and elsewhere between September 7, 2023, and August 26, 2024. A court heard some of the children in her care were less than a year old.
Deception and Supervision Failures
Some children were found unsupervised in the garden, while others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room. Mathewson took "various steps" to deceive parents and organisations about her conduct, including requiring parents to text her before collecting their children and keeping other children hidden inside rooms when they did so.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in October, Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health.
Sentencing and Background
At the same court, Sheriff John MacRitchie sentenced her to two years in prison. Mathewson, who was present in court wearing a black dress, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.
Dozens of parents attended the sentencing, while more than 20 watched via an online feed. Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before her arrest in August 2024.
Previous Inspection Report
She had been given a glowing report by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection on August 7, 2023 – just weeks before her offending began. The report rated her "very good" on all measures and said children were being cared for in a "comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" with "warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach".
The report stated: "Amanda Mathewson operates a childminding service from their home in a residential area of Dunfermline, Fife. The childminder may provide care to a maximum of eight children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months."
