A childminder in Dunfermline, Fife, has been sentenced to two years in prison for wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care.
Amanda Mathewson, 55, was found to be looking after significantly more children than the eight permitted by her license. At one point, 27 children were discovered at her home. Some of these children were found unsupervised in the garden, while others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room.
The offences occurred at various locations between September 7, 2023, and August 26, 2024, involving children under 16, including infants under a year old. Mathewson employed deceptive tactics to conceal her conduct from parents and organizations, such as requiring parents to text before collection and hiding other children inside when parents arrived.
Mathewson pleaded guilty in October at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to wilfully neglecting, abandoning, and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health. At her sentencing on Friday, Sheriff John MacRitchie described her actions as a "gross abuse of a position of trust" and stated she had "knowingly" created a situation where "injury, terror and neglect were obvious and foreseeable."
Dozens of parents attended the sentencing hearing, with over 20 others watching online. Police became involved after parents received a tip-off about Mathewson's alleged school runs. Two parents visited her home and discovered children left alone, shut away, and crying.
When arrested, Mathewson had 15 children under 12, ten under primary school age, and two under one in her care. The court heard that children sometimes became upset when taken to her home, and some returned thirsty or with dirty nappies. Concerns were also raised that children had not been fed while in her care.
Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for approximately 30 years. Notably, she had received a "very good" rating from the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection on August 7, 2023, just weeks before her offending began. This report described children being cared for in a "comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" with "warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach." However, a subsequent Care Inspectorate investigation found that Mathewson had been tipped off about this inspection by an unknown staff member.
Mathewson attempted to conceal her oversubscription by playing loud music and preventing parents from entering the home at drop-off times. She was also observed on multiple occasions with fewer children in public than she was responsible for caring for that day.