Man sentenced to nine months' probation for child neglect

Thursday 13 April 2017

A man who let his toddler run freely while he drunkenly stumbled through Millennium Park has been given a nine-month probation and treatment order.

The 47-year-old struggled to stay still and was witnessed falling over on several occasions as he walked his dog, while a girl under five years old in his care roamed the St Helier park in December last year.

Police were alerted to the scene by members of the public, who feared that the toddler might come into harm’s way or, at worst, stray into the road.

When apprehended, the man was found to be slurring his speech and was said to have “smelt strongly of alcohol”. As officers told him that he was being arrested on suspicion of child neglect, he replied: "That's rubbish."

Advocate Julian Gollop, defending, said that the man had in fact been drinking “probably too much” the night before and not on the morning in question, and that his decision to look after the child was “an error of judgement”.

To his credit, the man had entered a guilty plea to neglect under the Children (Jersey) Cruelty Law 2002 and viewed his Magistrates Court appearance as “a wake-up call”.

In handing down the nine-month order, Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris commented: “You can’t be drinking in excess and be a proper father to your daughter… Evidently any matter relating to the welfare of the child is a serious one.”

He added that the man could face prison if he is found guilty of such an offence again.