Childminder who neglected more than 20 children jailed

A childminder who admitted to wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care has been jailed for two years.

Amanda Mathewson, 55, looked after many more children than the eight she was allowed. At one point, 27 were found at her home in Dunfermline, Fife.

Some of the children were found unsupervised in the garden, and others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room.

The offences took place at a number of addresses in Dunfermline and elsewhere between 7 September 2023 and 26 August 2024.

They all involved children under 16. Some were less than a year old.

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.

At the same court on Friday, Sheriff John MacRitchie sentenced her to two years in prison.

The court heard that the childminder took "various steps" to deceive parents and organisations - including requiring parents to text her before coming to collect their children, and keeping other children hidden inside rooms when they did so.

Mathewson, who showed no emotion as she was sentenced, had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before she was arrested in August two years ago.

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She had been given a "very good" report by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection on 7 August 2023 - weeks before her offending began.

The report added: "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."

Her status on the Care Inspectorate website is now listed as cancelled.

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