A mother has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after her three-year-old daughter was discovered severely malnourished and hidden in a drawer, having never seen daylight or another human face.

The shocking case unfolded in Cheshire in February 2023 when the woman's partner accidentally discovered the child while using the bathroom.

Hearing noises resembling a baby, he found the little girl with matted hair, suffering from dehydration, and called the police. The child, born in secret in March 2020, had been kept confined since birth in a drawer beneath her mother’s bed, with no access to the outside world.

A social worker described the harrowing scene in court, recounting how the girl, who had a cleft palate, was rocking back and forth in the drawer. "I was extremely shocked," the social worker stated. "Her mother, appearing indifferent, admitted this was where the child was kept."

Medical experts reported that the child was developmentally equivalent to a 10-month-old due to prolonged neglect. She could not walk, talk, or crawl and exhibited poor muscle tone and swollen feet. The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed she hid the child to avoid revealing her existence to the abusive father.

During her absence at work or family visits, including Christmas Eve, the mother left the child alone in the drawer, feeding her sporadically with milky Weetabix through a syringe.

Now in foster care, the girl has begun experiencing "firsts" such as taking her first steps, smiling, and celebrating her first Christmas. Her carer described the joy and heartbreak of helping her recover from the profound neglect.

“This child has never had a birthday present, a Christmas present, or any interaction with her siblings,” said Rachel Worthington, senior prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire. “She didn’t even respond to her name when first found.”

The judge, Recorder of Chester Steven Everett, condemned the mother’s actions as “wicked beyond belief,” describing the girl’s confinement as “possibly a living death.” He emphasised the catastrophic impact of the mother’s neglect, noting her failure to provide love, care, or medical attention for her daughter.