Amanda Mathewson received a two-year custodial sentence at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting to charges of wilful neglect and abandonment. Although legally registered to look after a maximum of eight minors, she deserted over 20 children without supervision at her Dunfermline property. The illicit operation unraveled when suspicious parents witnessed her leaving the address alone. A subsequent Care Inspectorate probe confirmed that an unidentified employee had compromised regulatory oversight by tipping Mathewson off to surprise inspections.
Key points
A Scottish childminder received a two-year prison sentence for leaving over 20 children u…: A Scottish childminder received a two-year prison sentence for leaving over 20 children unsupervised in her home.
The neglect came to light after concerned parents observed the childminder leaving the pr…: The neglect came to light after concerned parents observed the childminder leaving the premises without the children.
Victim impact statements presented in court detailed that the abandoned children suffered…: Victim impact statements presented in court detailed that the abandoned children suffered from anxiety, nightmares, and ongoing distrust.
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A childminder who admitted leaving more than 20 children she was caring for alone and unsupervised in her home has been jailed for two years.
Amanda Mathewson, 55, pled guilty to wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health at her home in Dunfermline, Fife in August 2024.
An internal Care Inspectorate probe found Mathewson, who was been licensed to look after eight children under the age of 16 at any one time, had been tipped off about unannounced inspections by an unknown staff member.
Her offending only came to light after concerned parents spied on her leaving the home without their children.
Sheriff MacRitchie said Mathewson had committed a "gross abuse of a position of trust" during sentencing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
He told her she had "knowingly" created an environment in which "injury, terror and neglect were obvious and foreseeable".
The sentencing hearing was told about victim impact statements from affected children who said they had suffered "nightmares, anxiety and a distrust of childcare…
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