Probation for mother who left girl without food for three days

A working mother who left her eight-year-old daughter without food for three days was put on probation for two years yesterday after pleading guilty to child abuse.

The case came to light after the girl complained of stomach pains to her teacher. She had eaten only one piece of bread and some snacks - given to her by schoolmates - on the first two days, and nothing on the third.

The mother, 26, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said her job as a bar waitress left her with limited time for her child because she worked overnight. She was therefore unaware of a change in timetable during the school examination period that left her daughter without school lunches on the three days concerned.

In passing sentence, Deputy Magistrate Douglas Kwok Kam-tao, of Tuen Mun Court, said he was staggered by the case and worried about the damage to the child, who is now in the care of a social organisation.

'You didn't know that she was having examinations and had no food. You could have called to find this out. I can't understand why in today's Hong Kong, there was a child who had had one piece of bread in three days. You have single-handedly brought this upon yourself.

'The case isn't minor,' he added. 'You have caused her more than bodily harm and she must have felt abandoned. You have to re-examine your behaviour and the enormous psychological damage you have done to her.'

During the three days, which began on June 25, the mother, who was charged with ill-treatment or neglect by a person in charge of a child, thought her live-in boyfriend's mother was taking care of her daughter, who was from an earlier relationship. The court was not told where the boyfriend and his mother were.