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Child Item

Six year old left 'Home Alone with Monster Munch & Flat Screen TV'

Mr.Biscuits

For five days this girl was left home alone with nothing to eat and drink but Monster Munch and water - mother was jailed:

A LITTLE girl had to live on Monster Munch and water after being left home alone by her wicked mother for FIVE DAYS.

Scared six-year-old Shekinha Terry was abandoned in a freezing, scruffy council house covered in cat mess.

When her heartless mum Natalie was challenged by cops, she told them: "I neglected my daughter — end of."

A court heard how Shekinha got up on a cold November morning to find Terry, 28, was not there.

The bewildered child waited for a while but then took off her school uniform and switched on the TV.

Throughout her ordeal she ate pickled onion flavour Monster Munch, said by food experts to have no nutritional value, and yoghurt. And she drank just water.

Finally, shaking and sobbing hysterically, she knocked on a neighbour's door and told her: "Mum has left me for five days and she has not come back."
Terry's shocking callousness was revealed at Maidstone Crown Court as she was jailed for 18 months for child cruelty.

Shekinha was said to have suffered "fear and distress" after being left in the house in Dartford, Kent, which had no carpets and was sparsely furnished. The filthy kitchen contained little food and a kitten had messed in every room.

When Terry finally returned, she asked a neighbour if she had seen her daughter. Told Shekinha was with police, the mother declared: "I will not get her back."

The court heard no explanation of Terry's whereabouts during her five-day disappearance beyond her telling police she worked nights in a shop. She said: "I am doing everything I can to earn money and keep my job."

She added there had been other occasions when she left Shekinha alone for short periods, but there is no suggestion the child was locked in. The case has only just been heard even though Shekinha — now eight and living with her gran — was abandoned in November 2010.

Judge Martin Joy was told of worries the girl would feel responsible if her mother was jailed. But he said the crime was so serious a non-custodial sentence could not be justified.

He added: "She was living in utterly insanitary conditions. She was in fear and distress for a considerable time."

Trevor Wright, defending, said Terry had genuine regret for the harm she caused her daughter.

He told how the mum had spent eight months in a domestic violence refuge, was broke when she moved into the house and had rent arrears.

Mr Wright said: "She became so overwhelmed with this problem she found it difficult to provide even the essentials. She just withdrew and shut down. She couldn't explain it. She needs help."

Last night an upset neighbour living opposite the Dartford house said: "I feel terrible now. If I had known the woman had done such a wicked thing I would obviously have done something about it."

Sun Newspaper article

I was left home alone from a very young age (11, which was I'm not sure was uncommon for my generation, was it?) and was no bother to me but I wasn't allowed to use the cooker and had to order food in (was checked on my neighbours also but looking back, was a little young I think and no way I'd do the same to my kids.

But six! :rolleyes:

No excuse for what she did, got what she deserved .. lucky she's not attending a funeral ffs.

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brummytom

Oh, and anyone named Shekinha should be taken off their parents anyway

danger mouse

brummytom wrote: »

Oh, and anyone named Shekinha should be taken off their parents anyway

Yeah social workers love these kinds of threads!

charlemont

Sick bitch, That's absolutely scandalous to do to any child. If you can't or don't want to look after a child then use some contraception.:mad:

Riddle101

Reading that, article my opinion at about what happened was very much the same as everyone else. Angry at the mother and sad for the child.

However I just want to draw attention to the bit at the end of the article where it says the mom was in a domestic violence refuge and just shut down. Makes me wonder if maybe the woman isn't in the right state of mine and needs help as well. I'd just like to get the full story about the mother and her backround before I judge tbh.

Still though, it's really shocking and sad.

pappyodaniel

KEVIN!!!

Mr.Biscuits

Riddle101 wrote: »

I'd just like to get the full story about the mother and her backround before I judge tbh.

Yeah, none of the articles on it really go into much detail in that regard, this one is about the best of 'em:

Natalie Terry, 28, abandoned her daughter for almost a week in the dirty and animal faeces- covered flat in Dartford, Kent, with just a flat-screen television for company and some bags of crisps.
The cold and terrified child eventually knocked on a neighbour’s door, sobbing hysterically and shaking, and told them: ‘Mum has left me five days and has not come back.’
When Terry was arrested on her return, she simply told police: ‘I neglected my daughter. End of.’
At Maidstone crown court, judge Martin Joy jailed the mother for 18 months.
He told Terry she had subjected her daughter to fear and distress for a ‘considerable time’ during the girl’s ordeal between November 2 and 6, 2010.
‘She was living in utterly insanitary conditions,’ he said.
The girl told police she dressed for school and waited for her mother to come home but, when she did not return, she took off her uniform and watched television.
She survived by eating Monster Munch and yoghurt, and drinking water.
Prosecutor Peter Forbes said: ‘She said, when she realised she was on her own, it made her feel sad,’ though he added the girl had not been locked in.
Officers who entered the flat found it had been left extremely cold, with no carpets and very little furniture. The only luxury item was a flat-screen TV.
A kitten had left filth in every room and the kitchen was dirty.
The child, now eight, was taken into care and then placed with her grandmother. Terry admitted child cruelty.
Her lawyer, Trevor Wright, said she ‘withdrew and shut down’ while struggling with overwhelming money problems following a violent relationship.
‘It is difficult for me to convey the depth of her emotional regret,’ he added.

Shenshen

What happened to the poor kitten?

Stripey Cat

Your parents left you alone in the house for two days when you were eleven?

Where were they?

Mr.Biscuits

Stripey Cat wrote: »

Your parents left you alone in the house for two days when you were eleven?

Where were they?

Two days, one night and my mom was having my little bro.

Dudess

Riddle101 wrote: »

I just want to draw attention to the bit at the end of the article where it says the mom was in a domestic violence refuge and just shut down. Makes me wonder if maybe the woman isn't in the right state of mine and needs help as well. I'd just like to get the full story about the mother and her backround before I judge tbh.

Still a **** for doing it though, even if she needed help.
Five days, no proper food, no warning beforehand, no request to neighbours to keep an eye on the little girl, nothing.

What a bitch.

Outkast_IRE

Shenshen wrote: »

What happened to the poor kitten?

It ate a bag of monster munch and lived happily ever after

seamus

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Two days, one night and my mom was having my little bro.

I'll be perfectly honest; that doesn't sound all that crazy for an eleven-year-old with their head screwed on.

The least desirable option sure, but in a pinch (such as having to rush into hospital with no-one around to look after the child) my main concern would be that the 11 year old wouldn't get to sleep either because they've OD'ed on coffee or because they're scared out of their wits.

I wouldn't be that concerned for their safety. 11 year olds aren't stupid. I was using the cooker from the age of 8 FFS, heating up milk and boiling eggs.

Stripey Cat

Dudess wrote: »

Still a **** for doing it though, even if she needed help.
Five days, no proper food, no warning beforehand, no request to neighbours to keep an eye on the little girl, nothing.

What a bitch.

Sounds like she had a breakdown.

Total remorse, no chance she will do it again, what sounds like mitigating circumstances.

Seems crazy to lock her up and splash her name all over a rag like the Sun.

Dudess

Where's the total remorse and guarantee she'll never do it again?
True about the Sun thing, but I think she should get the help she needs before getting the green light to care for her child again. Yeah I agree just locking her up end of won't solve anything - but hopefully she'll get psychiatric care there, or at least counselling and medication, for her child's sake especially.

Logical Fallacy

Stripey Cat wrote: »

Sounds like she had a breakdown.

Agreed. As such, definitely not a suitable time to be looking after a young child.

Total remorse

Don't know about that...didn't see anything in the article to make me think such.

no chance she will do it again, what sounds like mitigating circumstances.

Definitely didn't see anything to make me think it wouldn't happen again.

Seems crazy to lock her up and splash her name all over a rag like the Sun.

Agreed, if she did in fact suffer an emotional breakdown then she certainly won't get the help she needs in the prison system.

tempura

seamus wrote: »

I'll be perfectly honest; that doesn't sound all that crazy for an eleven-year-old with their head screwed on.

The least desirable option sure, but in a pinch (such as having to rush into hospital with no-one around to look after the child) my main concern would be that the 11 year old wouldn't get to sleep either because they've OD'ed on coffee or because they're scared out of their wits.

I wouldn't be that concerned for their safety. 11 year olds aren't stupid. I was using the cooker from the age of 8 FFS, heating up milk and boiling eggs.

Oh were you now ? And did you wash the pots and tidy up after yourself, well, did ya, you scallywag !;)

[Deleted User]

okay obviously this was all wrong and neglectful etc

but um, what's wrong with drinking water? should she have been fed coke?

kincsem

Flat screen TV

< 21" cruelty
> 35" good parenting

Lollipops23

Riddle101 wrote: »

However I just want to draw attention to the bit at the end of the article where it says the mom was in a domestic violence refuge and just shut down. Makes me wonder if maybe the woman isn't in the right state of mine and needs help as well. I'd just like to get the full story about the mother and her backround before I judge tbh.

That jumped out at me too. She never should have left her child on her own, but it does sound like she simply wasn't coping and cracked. It really doesn't sound like she did it maliciously, and it probably would have said if she'd been out on the tiles during the time the kid was alone.

Hope she gets the help she needs and the little girl gets a stable and secure home life.

billybudd

Lollipops23 wrote: »

That jumped out at me too. She never should have left her child on her own, but it does sound like she simply wasn't coping and cracked. It really doesn't sound like she did it maliciously, and it probably would have said if she'd been out on the tiles during the time the kid was alone.

Hope she gets the help she needs and the little girl gets a stable and secure home life.

She is obviously not a well woman but if she were that bad she would have been in hospital not returning after five days and having the awareness to ask neighbours where her daughter was.

Another thing its a bit shameful that neighbours now mind their own business out of fear of reprisal or aggro or being called nosey etc than keep an eye on whats happening with certain families.

All in all am not that shocked, some English council housing estates and areas make our ones look like the promised land.

OneArt

I was left home alone when I was kid although the maid was there so I don't think it counted...

Brendog

I'm not condoning what she did, but at least the kid had food.

plenty of cases where the parents leave the kid with literally nothing.

celtictiger32

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Just two days, but I had BMX Bandits, The Goonies and Gremlins on pirate VHS to watch and tons of Commodore 64 games to play.

To this day I doubt anyone could beat me at Pitstop.

i could i just havent got 4 hours to spend loading it

Downlinz wrote: »

I dont get the significance of the TV in this story.

she was left alone with one

finbarrk wrote: »

What's yurt?

its yoghurt without the OGH additives

120_Minutes

sparsely furnished, but 42" inch flat screen

Priorites.

Biggins

A very sad and depressing case.

partyatmygaff

zuroph wrote: »

It was flat screen.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it was HD.

Underdraft

Shekinha!!

Yeah, now I can see why John Hughes picked a simpler name.

the_syco

Johro wrote: »

He argued the public interest in knowing the full background to the case outweighed the need to maintain the child's anonymity. And Judge Joy agreed.'

Because of this, the child will probably be bullied about this for years to come. Because of this, the reporter is a complete and utter arséhole!

Riddle101 wrote: »

I'd just like to get the full story

The sun doesn't do "full stories", it only does "witch hunts". But I agree, and it seems the mother is f**ked in the head, and didn't know how to cope.

El Weirdo

Terrible story on the face of it and with the information provided...

...but can someone please tell me why the following, bolded word needed to be included?

Scared six-year-old Shekinha Terry was abandoned in a freezing, scruffy council house covered in cat mess.

the_syco

El Weirdo wrote: »

...but can someone please tell me why the following, bolded word needed to be included?

It's the Sun.