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Michelle Mone reports child left in a car in a supermarket carpark!

60 replies

DuelingFanjo · 09/01/2011 21:52

story

Michelle Mone called the police about footballer's toddler left in a car in a supermarket carpark for an hour.

I know this is often debated on mumsnet, and an hour is a long time but people actually get prosecuted?!

in defence of the parents their child was warmly dressed and they say they could see the car at all times.

Wouldn't it have been better for her to go into the supermarket and ask them to make an announcement giving the car registratio number?

OP posts:
annh · 09/01/2011 22:18

Sounds like complete rubbish that he could see the car at all times. If he was in the supermarket for an hour, looking out the (apparently non-existant) windows, how could he have been doing any shopping? What was he actually doing then for an hour - waiting for his wife in the warmth while leaving the baby in a cold car?

donnie · 09/01/2011 22:19

I would have done the same thing.

Nipping in to pay for petrol when you can see your car? yes, I do that.

Leaving your kids in the car while you go shopping? no way.

Good on MM.

Rindercella · 09/01/2011 22:27

Good, pleased this woman did call the police. A small child left in a car alone for an hour when it is freezing cold? Hardly evidence of 'excellent parenting' is it?

Why did they both have to go into the supermarket? Confused Surely it'd have made far more sense for one of them to have stayed in the car. I cannot imagine a single event that would make DH and me leave our DDs alone in the car for an hour.

Pleased to see they have been charged too.

AitchTwoOh · 09/01/2011 22:27

no really, it's a costco, absolutely mahoosive. no windows at all, in fact no shopping near the front of the store for the most part. cafe and customer service and tills would block any view even if there were windows.

that said, the couple are 22 and 24, regardless of their finances they were probably just being young (ish) and stupid. dh tells me he's known as a decent guy but a bit spine-free.

Liv77 · 09/01/2011 22:30

What a couple of tossers. Surely it's common sense that one of you stays in the car.

My DS often fell asleep like that and we always made sure we took something to read and drink with us in the car if it was going to be less hassle than moving him. We'd usually sit in the passenger seat so that cars didn't stop and wait for our parking space.

Well done MM,

BluddyMoFo · 09/01/2011 22:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

onadietcokebreak · 09/01/2011 22:36

Well done for reporting it. Society needs to take more responsibility for vunerable children.

Bollocks he could see the child at all times. How can you shop and see child at all time- you are looking at labels etc.

IMO its even worst that both parents were there. Surely one could have stayed in car.

pooka · 09/01/2011 22:38

Costcos are like warehouses - windowless. No way would he have been able to see the car without standing outside, in which case he would have seen the commotion by the car.

Neglect. Whether down to stupidity or whatever, doesn't alter the fact that this was neglectful behaviour.

SixtyFootDoll · 09/01/2011 23:01

Exactly pooka the only way he could have seen the car would be to stand in the entrance and if you are doing that you may as well have stayed in the car. What a pair of planks

SixtyFootDoll · 09/01/2011 23:01

Exactly pooka the only way he could have seen the car would be to stand in the entrance and if you are doing that you may as well have stayed in the car. What a pair of planks

ThisIsANiceCage · 09/01/2011 23:23

It's probably less common in the UK climate, but some ghastly number of children in Australia and the US die from the opposite problem - overheating in cars.

Be warned the article below is harrowing, tho intelligently written. It's probably the most traumatic thing I've read for a long time, but I'm posting it as I think it's important to know about.

Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

sb6699 · 10/01/2011 00:14

I agree that no way could he see that car!!

Given the temperatures that night, it would only take a short while for the child to become cold and possibly ill.

Why should the supermarket take responsibility for their child?

I would pop into the local shop for milk and leave the baby in the car where I could see them from the window - a huge carpark is a completely different scenario.

differentnameforthis · 10/01/2011 02:35

Sorry but bollox was he watching the car! Otherwise he would have seen Michelle watching it too & saw her use her phone, at which point he would have been alerted that something was amiss.

And if he was watching the car, he couldn't have been shopping, so why not just stay in the car?

MadamDeathstare · 10/01/2011 03:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Want2bSupermum · 10/01/2011 03:51

I can't believe anyone would leave their child unattended in a car for an hour. As others have said, you can't see anything outside if you are in a costco warehouse. Also, costco have huge trolleys which you can easily fit a baby seat into or use the pull out seat at the front.

I am surprised that it wasn't Costco who called the police. Here in New Jersey the employees who collect the trolleys will notify the police at once if they see an unattended child locked in a car.

saffy85 · 10/01/2011 07:44

Don't understand if there was 2 of them there why one couldn't have stayed in the car with the child Confused My DD would flip out if I ever left her asleep in the car like that (although we have left her while paying for petrol or nipping to the cashpoint, but can always see her around 20 odd feet away and she can see us)

I am a bit Hmm at the suggestion by someone here that the couples' ages has anything to do with them leaving their child like this. I had my DD at 21 and know plenty of younger parents but I don't know anyone who would leave their DC in a car while they nipped to the shop, let alone to bloody Costco for an hour!

MM did the right thing although I would have gone to the store customer service and asked them to do a tannoy. Still the parents have a lot of explaining to do and rightly so. WTF were they thinking?

mozette · 10/01/2011 07:57

I'm pleased that they have decided to charge them with neglect. When the story first came out anyone who has been to that Costco would know that he was talking shite about seeing the car at all times. You cant even stand inside the store and see the car park

MargaretGraceBondfield · 10/01/2011 08:07

Good for her! Two adults preferred to go into a shop than one of them sit in the car with their baby....that's messed up!

FessaEst · 10/01/2011 08:10

This article states that the car alarm was going off - how on earth was he watching and miss that Hmm?

AitchTwoOh · 10/01/2011 08:47

take offence at my mentioning their age by all means, but it might be relevant. footballers are not the brightest, nor are their girlfriends. in footballing years 24 is about 14 irl, they are cossetted and kept away from any responsibility other than getting their team a win on saturday. especially here. i think what they did was ridiculous, even more that they tried to weasel out of itwith a transparent lie, but they are not mere mortals in this city and will be accustomed to getting what they want and perhaps not yet mature enough to realise that this doesn't cut it when it comes to neglecting your kids.

AitchTwoOh · 10/01/2011 08:49

btw i couldn't read the article further down but remember that terrible case where the woman in washington, was it, simply forgot to drop her baby off at daycare and the child died from heat exhaustion while she was in the office? terrible.

mamatomany · 10/01/2011 08:58

They'd better not get away with this due to a fancy solicitor, what a pair of idiots. They should be thanking MM and be apologetic, then they might just be forgiven.

annh · 10/01/2011 09:25

I see they are still maintaining in that article that they could see the car at all times (from the windowless store) - so not only is he a talented footballer but he can also see through solid walls?! Wow, what a find he was for his club!

Fimbo · 10/01/2011 09:34

Lol @ annh.

I applaud MM. We have had occasion when the dc were younger where they have fallen asleep about 5 minutes from home, so one of us went into the house and the other sat in the car on our driveway until they woke up.

YourCallIsImportant · 10/01/2011 09:50

This happened before Christmas. It was during the time when in Glasgow we had daytime temps of -10 deg.

The footballer is angry and embarrassed at being caught and getting bad press (as well he should be).

Good on Michelle Mone, I'd have done the same.