Dad leaves son, 11, at home with complete stranger for five days as he jets off to Italy on holiday
A father left his 11-year-old son at home for five days so he could jet off to Italy for a vacation.
The father, who can’t be named for legal reasons, left his child during a flat in Edinburgh with a lodger who’d only moved within the day before.
The father appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court on Wednesday.
The father, who can't be named for legal reasons, left the young lad in his Edinburgh flat with a lodger who'd move within the day before and had not agreed to seem after him, a court heard.
The defendant, who can't be identified for legal reasons, jetted off to Italy for five days leaving the young boy struggling to defend himself with a stranger.
He attempted to microwave frozen fish for his dinner and squirted Fairy liquid into the dishwasher to wash the dishes within the Edinburgh flat.
The lodger, who woke the morning after occupation to seek out the dad gone and therefore the child still within the property, confided in work colleagues before calling the police, reports the Daily Record.
Appearing at the city's sheriff court on Wednesday, the accused accepted charges of wilfully neglecting his son during a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to his health and leaving him without adequate care and adult supervision.
Fiscal depute Alan Morrison said an area at their flat was advertised for rent and a lodger purchased a month’s stay.
The father asked the lodger to move during a day before planned then informed him he was catching a flight to Italy at 3 am the next morning.
Mr. Morrison said: "asked if his son was going with him. The accused replied no, he would be staying at the property.
"The accused said that as was there, he could take care of him.
"When he awakened subsequent morning, he found the accused had left and his son was still there.
"He asked the kid what he was getting to do as he was getting to leave for the day.
"The child said he would accompany him and [the lodger] said he couldn’t come as he was getting to the pub."
The court heard the lodger returned at around 7 pm and therefore the boy was home alone.
He left again the subsequent day and later received a text message from the kid using his dad’s phone to ask him when he was returning.
Mr. Morrison said the lodger visited work subsequent day, a Monday, and told his colleagues about things.
He added: "His colleagues urged him to call the police. The lodger reported that only at now did he realize how inappropriate things were and therefore the police were contacted.
"The child was found at his school having got himself up, dressed himself, and made his way there."
The father returned from his trip on December 5, 2018, having left on December 1, and located his son had been taken into emergency care.
Police interviewed the dad who "talked freely" about what he did, adding he’d hoped to enhance his son’s "independence" by leaving him behind.
Defence agent Andrew Docherty said the boy was now in foster care.
Sheriff Peter McCormack deferred sentence on the dad, who was excused attendance from yesterday’s hearing, until November for reports.