A pregnant mother told her six children she was going to the supermarket – and flew to Australia for a six-week holiday with a boyfriend she met online. A court heard the 43-year-old woman effectively left a son aged 14 in charge of his siblings and took off to the other side of the world on New Year’s Day. Police were alerted when the teenager called his grandparents, who dialled 999, and the mother was arrested when she flew back into the UK in February. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years, by Judge Murray Creed at Birmingham Crown Court . Yesterday she walked free from court with a suspended sentence after admitting six counts of wilful abandonment. Judge Murray Creed told the woman it was a serious matter and praised her teenage son for his presence of mind. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, vanished at 5pm after telling her son she was going to Asda. When she failed to return home four hours later, he called his grandparents, who live outside the area. They alerted police and social services, who arrived at 1am. By then, the mother had sent the boy a text saying she would not be back until the next day. By the time police contacted her, she was at Heathrow waiting to board a flight to Sydney. The judge was told that her Chinese internet boyfriend had wired the flight money to her via Western Union. Patrick Sullivan, prosecuting, said the mother, who is a single parent, ignored messages from her parents and the police, deactivated her social media accounts and refused to fly home until her scheduled return. Officers sent to the mother’s address found the children in a house which was warm but dirty. The children, the youngest of whom is three, were placed into emergency foster care. They are now living with their grandparents. Birmingham Crown Court was shown cards made by the children, two boys and four girls, and addressed to their mother. One read ‘We miss you mummy’ while another said ‘We want to see you soon.’ John Smitheman, defending the woman, told the court they were thriving academically and unaffected by the experience. He said the woman had been a good mother but had been in an abusive relationship with an African man before she struck up an online relationship with the Chinese man. Mr Smitheman said the stress of bringing the children up alone had let to a ‘very unusual, almost unique circumstance’. The woman flew 9,467 miles from her home in Birmingham to Australia to enjoy a six week holiday with her boyfriend . The mother, formerly of Birmingham but now living in Wales, was handed a six-month suspended sentence. A friend and neighbour from Birmingham said: ‘She was a really good mother who loved her children to bits. I don’t know what possessed her to abandon them like this.’ At her home last night the mother declined to comment or apologise. Adrian Brown of the NSPCC said: ‘While there’s no legal minimum age when you can leave children at home alone in the UK, clearly in this case the mothers’ actions were not those of a responsible parent.’
Runway mum left children aged 14 to three years home alone .
She went to Australia after telling her oldest she was going to the shops .
Her online boyfriend had paid for the flight ticket from Heathrow .
Single mother  refused to end six week sun shine holiday early .
Judge spares her jail after hearing she is pregnant with her seventh child .
Woman handed six month prison sentence, suspended for two years .
Children are now being looked after by their grandparents .
A pregnant mother told her six children she was going to the supermarket – and flew to Australia for a six-week holiday with a boyfriend she met online. A court heard the 43-year-old woman effectively left a son aged 14 in charge of his siblings and took off to the other side of the world on New Year’s Day. Police were alerted when the teenager called his grandparents, who dialled 999, and the mother was arrested when she flew back into the UK in February. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years, by Judge Murray Creed at Birmingham Crown Court . Yesterday she walked free from court with a suspended sentence after admitting six counts of wilful abandonment. Judge Murray Creed told the woman it was a serious matter and praised her teenage son for his presence of mind. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, vanished at 5pm after telling her son she was going to Asda. When she failed to return home four hours later, he called his grandparents, who live outside the area. They alerted police and social services, who arrived at 1am. By then, the mother had sent the boy a text saying she would not be back until the next day. By the time police contacted her, she was at Heathrow waiting to board a flight to Sydney. The judge was told that her Chinese internet boyfriend had wired the flight money to her via Western Union. Patrick Sullivan, prosecuting, said the mother, who is a single parent, ignored messages from her parents and the police, deactivated her social media accounts and refused to fly home until her scheduled return. Officers sent to the mother’s address found the children in a house which was warm but dirty. The children, the youngest of whom is three, were placed into emergency foster care. They are now living with their grandparents. Birmingham Crown Court was shown cards made by the children, two boys and four girls, and addressed to their mother. One read ‘We miss you mummy’ while another said ‘We want to see you soon.’ John Smitheman, defending the woman, told the court they were thriving academically and unaffected by the experience. He said the woman had been a good mother but had been in an abusive relationship with an African man before she struck up an online relationship with the Chinese man. Mr Smitheman said the stress of bringing the children up alone had let to a ‘very unusual, almost unique circumstance’. The woman flew 9,467 miles from her home in Birmingham to Australia to enjoy a six week holiday with her boyfriend . The mother, formerly of Birmingham but now living in Wales, was handed a six-month suspended sentence. A friend and neighbour from Birmingham said: ‘She was a really good mother who loved her children to bits. I don’t know what possessed her to abandon them like this.’ At her home last night the mother declined to comment or apologise. Adrian Brown of the NSPCC said: ‘While there’s no legal minimum age when you can leave children at home alone in the UK, clearly in this case the mothers’ actions were not those of a responsible parent.’
going to the supermarket – and flew to Australia effectively left a son aged 14 in charge of his six month prison sentence, suspended for two years, by Judge Murray Creed at Birmingham Crown vanished at 5pm after telling her son she was accounts and refused to fly home until her care. They are now living with their stress of bringing the children up alone had let Birmingham to Australia to enjoy a six week holiday with her boyfriend . The mother, formerly