Woman Who Pushed Pram onto Road While High on Drugs Avoids Jail
A woman who endangered a toddler by getting high and losing control of a pram narrowly avoided being sent to prison.
A woman who endangered a toddler by getting high and losing control of a pram narrowly avoided being sent to prison.
Fiona Winter, 35, was under the influence of alcohol and drugs when she pushed the helpless toddler out into the road in her buggy.
Winter was so out of control that two passing teachers stopped their car to try and intervene because they were concerned about the child's life being in danger.
Fiscal depute Jim Eodanable told Perth Sheriff Court: "Two teachers with 62 years experience were travelling together in a car and they saw the accused pushing a pram with a three-year-old in it.
"From what they saw they were immediately concerned something was wrong. The accused was hunched over the pram. The witnesses wound down the window and called to her.
"The teachers formed the view the accused was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They watched her push the pram across the road.
"She hadn't looked to see if there was any traffic. There concern was such the passenger got out the car to help the accused with the pram. The accused was holding onto the pram to be guided as well."
Winter and the toddler were escorted to Perth train station where staff were alerted and police were called to the incident. Officers took the child to safety while drug addict Winter was arrested.
She admitted wilfully exposing a three-year-old girl to the risk of injury by losing control of the pram and pushing it into the road without bothering to look first.
Winter, from Dundee, admitted being under the influence of drink and drugs while she was supposed to have responsibility for the child in Perth on 23 April this year.
She admitted exposing the girl, who cannot be named, to the "likelihood of unnecessary suffering or injury to health" by pushing her in a pram at Leonard Street and Perth railway station.
She failed to control the pram properly and placed the child at risk by pushing the pram out onto the road without looking to check it was safe. An allegation that she pushed the pram into the path of oncoming vehicles was deleted by the Crown.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: "She was pushing the child in a pram when she was patently unable to care for that child because of her condition."
He told Winter: "This is a serious matter. You are the person responsible for the care of the child. Patently you were failing in that responsibility.
"It has to be made clear to people that if you fail in your duty to protect a child in your care then that is a serious matter. The child was in a buggy being pushed along the street and two people have to get out of a car to help you cross the road."