Mum pleads guilty to neglecting son in Inverness

The mother of a toddler who was found dead at a house in the Inverness has admitted neglecting her son over a five month period.

Former model Amanda Hardie, who now lives in East Kilbride, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to wilfully ill-treating, abandoning, neglecting and exposing two year old Clyde Campbell to unnecessary suffering or injury at her flat in Inverness between October 2013 and February 2014.

The charge went on to say she left him for prolonged periods and in particular during the hours of darkness whilst unattended and without adult supervision.

Clyde, who was born on January 20, 2012, died in his bed on February 23, 2014 and it took some time before his cause of death was established as Sudden Infant Death in Childhood – or cot death.

Fiscal Roderick Urquhart told Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood: “Further medical enquiries established no clinical basis to link her neglect of Clyde to his death. There was no evidence of disease, infection, injury, malnourishment or dehydration.

“Clyde’s teeth were clean and in good condition. In short, there were no physical signs of neglect.”

Hardie sat wiping tears from her eyes as the circumstances leading up to Clyde’s death were read out in court. After hearing from Mr Urquhart, Sheriff Fleetwood deferred sentence on Hardie for a background report and she will re-appear on April 15.

Defence counsel Lorenzo Alonzi also said he would have a psychiatric report prepared on his client, who he said “has a history of mental health problems.”

The Sheriff warned her: “I have to say that all possible disposals are open to the court for this case as the court has to take seriously what happened.”

The court was told that Hardie often left Clyde in her flat as she went out to work until the early hours in an Inverness nightclub.

She was in a relationship with Clyde’s father, Kevin from about 2005 until some time in the second half of 2013.

Mr Urquhart said that Hardie worked at G’s nightclub in Inverness and on Saturday 15th February, she worked from around 12.30pm right through until around 3.30am on Sunday 16th February.

“A neighbour states that over that weekend, while the accused was out at work, she passed the accused’s flat in the evening and heard Clyde Campbell crying and repeatedly asking for his mum. She knocked on the door, but no-one answered and the crying stopped.

“On February 19, Hardie found Clyde in the kitchen with a bottle of cleaning fluid, some of which had been spilt on his clothing. She took him to the Accident and Emergency Department of Raigmore Hospital, Inverness to be checked. There was no indication he had swallowed the cleaning fluid and he was discharged.

“On Friday 21st February 2014 the accused was again working 12pm-4pm and 8pm-4am at a nightclub. She confided in a colleague that she was struggling for childcare that weekend yet she did not ask for help.

“She left work just after 4.00pm that day and was picked up by her new boyfriend, Ian Hill. He dropped her off at her home, then he returned to his own home, before returning to the accused’s flat around 7.40pm to take her back to work.

“Hardie later admitted that she had made no arrangements for child care and after finishing at 4am she went to Ian Hill’s home, where she stayed until lunchtime.

“Around 7.30pm on Saturday 22nd February 2014 the accused left to go to work. She again did not arrange childcare. After finishing work at 4am, the accused went back to Ian Hill’s flat, where they both fell asleep.”

Mr Urquhart said that there was concern about Clyde later in the day of February 23 and neighbours went round to the flat.

He went on: “One of them saw that Clyde was lying lifeless in his bed and he contacted the emergency services. He struggled to perform CPR until ambulance staff arrived a short time later and they formally confirmed the child was dead at 3.11pm.

“Realising that something had happened, another neighbour contacted Hardie via Facebook and told her she had to return home as something was wrong.

“Hardie was still with Ian Hill at his home. On waking at around 3.40pm she discovered the neighbour’s message and contacted her to ask what was wrong. A short time later, the Police contacted Hardie and advised her they were dealing with a serious incident and they needed to speak to her about it as soon as possible.

“When she was asked for her current whereabouts and asked if they could pick her up in an unmarked car she refused to say and hung up when the officer was unwilling to tell her over the phone what exactly it was about. She did however did arrive home a short time later.

“When speaking with officers at the scene, she said she had been out the previous evening and confirmed that there had been no babysitter for Clyde.” Mr Urquhart concluded.

During the police investigation, it emerged that Hardie helped at various fundraising events for the £2million Highland Children’s Unit Appeal to create a new children’s department at Raigmore Hospital.

She had been crowned the Face of Inverness by agency modelscotland the year before Clyde's death after battling severe post-natal depression.

In her bid to overcome it, she had professional photographs taken, the images were uploaded by the photographer on to a social networking site and she found herself inundated with offers of modelling work.

She also modelled for the Ann Summers catalogue.

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