A father who was under the influence of ketamine left his six-year-old son home alone and told police it was their problem when they asked about childcare. The man has since lost custody of the child.
Incident Details
Neighbors in a village near Swaffham, Norfolk, became concerned on April 18 last year after seeing the man leave his home with friends, knowing the young boy was inside alone. He returned alone 20 minutes later, shouting at someone on the phone, then entered the house and locked the door. Later, one of the friends returned and became angry when he could not get inside. He began shouting and threw toys at the window.
When a neighbor came out, the friend told them the father, the sole carer for the boy (then aged five), was 'keyed up'—a term understood to mean under the influence of ketamine.
Police arrived to find the father standing outside with glazed eyes and white powder around his right nostril. He was arrested, and a small amount of the Class B drug was found during a search. When officers asked if anyone else could look after the child, he replied: 'I don’t know, it’s your problem now.'
Court Proceedings
The man pleaded guilty to abandoning a child and possession of a Class B drug at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on January 15. The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report. In mitigation, solicitor Kate D’Aloia said the defendant had been sober for 200 days after the incident but relapsed due to court stress. He had cut down to around eight beers over a weekend and no longer has custody of the child.
Sentence
As part of a community order, he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and undergo 90 days of alcohol monitoring. He will also pay a £114 victim surcharge and £50 in court costs, deducted from his benefits at £5 per week.
