Mother who abandoned two babies outdoors was 'ashamed'

Feb 13 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

A MOTHER from Liverpool who abandoned her two babies because she couldn’t bear to “bring shame” on her family has escaped with a community order.

Bronagh Bond, 27, of Frampton Road, Walton, admitted two charges of cruelty when she appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

Michael Jones, prosecuting, told the court that at 7am on Christmas Eve 2003, a five day-old baby girl was found by a passer-by abandoned close to a block of flats in Walton.

The girl, later named Holly, was taken to Walton Lane Police station, but despite repeated media appeals, no-one came forward and she was later adopted.

At 7.30am on July 29, 2006, a second baby, aged four weeks old, was found on a path in Stanley Park. The baby, later named Angel, had a dummy, bottle and a handwritten note which apologised for abandoning her.

Police took DNA samples from items left with both babies which established they were sisters but they were unable to find a match on the DNA database.

Eventually in April last year they found a close match in a man who lived close to where the babies had been abandoned. He had four sisters – one of which was Bronagh Bond – and all of whom were DNA tested.

A day later detectives investigating the case received a call from Ms Bond to say she was the mother of Angel. She later admitted she was also Holly’s mum.

Mr Jones said Ms Bond had panicked when she had found out she was pregnant with Holly.

He said: “She felt ashamed. She already had one child out of wedlock and was a single mother. She felt that because she was from a close knit family she could not bring shame on them and she did not want a termination.”

The court heard Holly was the daughter of Ms Bond’s former partner and Angel had been the daughter of a man she had met while on holiday in Turkey who had not wanted any further contact.

Ms Charlotte Kenny, defending, said Ms Bond had left the children in an area where she believed that they would be swiftly found.

She said Ms Bond had a history of “late discovery pregnancies” and been in a relationship which had broken down in 2002 at the same time she had discovered she was pregnant with Holly and had simply “blanked out” her pregnancy.

She said Ms Bond felt no emotional attachment to Holly and had been in a state of “conscious denial”.

Ms Kenny said when Ms Bond found out she was pregnant with Angel she struggled to cope and dreaded telling her family.

“She found the prospect of their reaction too much to bear. She felt deep, deep embarrassment and profound shame.

“She put her parents on a pedestal and looked up to them as model parents.”

Ms Kenny said Ms Bond had since sought advice on sterilisation.

Ms Bond was given a two year community order, which comes attached with a two year supervision order.