UK NEWS

DRUNKEN FATHER LEAVES BABY IN SWEET SHOP

Shaun Marshall left his six-month-old baby in a shop (PIC posed by model)

Wednesday May 14,2008

By Mark Blacklock

A FATHER drank so much alcohol he forgot to take his baby daughter home from a sweet shop.

Shaun Marshall drove off, leaving the six-month-old strapped in her baby buggy.

He went into the shop with the baby and two toddlers. But after buying them treats, he walked out, got into his car and drove away with his two toddlers.

By the time he realised what he had done, shocked staff had alerted police.

Yesterday the 27-year-old was told he should be ashamed of himself and was placed on a supervision order for nine months.

He was banned from driving for two years after magistrates heard he was three times above the drink-drive limit, almost 24 hours after he had last touched alcohol. He has also lost his job as a driver.

The court was told he must have consumed a “staggering” amount of alcohol the previous day. He may even have been close to death because of his vast drink intake.

Marshall was driving the family Mercedes when he stopped outside the Candy Man shop in Cullercoats, near Whitley Bay.

Prosecutor Mark Brennan said staff found the baby at closing time. Police were scanning the shop’s CCTV footage when he returned 10 minutes later.

Mr Brennan said: “He told police he was tired and confused and had not realised he’d left the six-month-old behind.”

Marshall who had never been in trouble with the law before, admitted being drunk in charge of a child and drink-driving when he appeared before North Tyneside magistrates.

Mr John Monkhouse said in mitigation that Marshall, from Westerhope, Newcastle, was so shocked by what had happened he had stopped drinking and begun to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Although he had not been drinking that day, he had had “a skinful” the previous day and he was facing up to the fact that he had an alcohol problem.

“Sometimes it takes a tragedy before a situation will strike home to somebody,” said Mr Monkhouse. Marshall left court without comment.