A Fife dad passed out drunk under a playpark swing and left his three-year-old daughter cold and “alone in the dark,” a court has heard.
The man, in his 40s, was found by police unresponsive and lying in the foetal position beside an empty bottle of vodka.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that the young girl was cold and in tears, having been left unattended.
The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in the dock and pleaded guilty to a charge of child neglect at Inverkeithing’s Whinnyhill Crescent on December 9 2020.
Could not sit up
Procurator fiscal depute Mat Piskorz told the court that dad and daughter went to the park in the afternoon.
About an hour-and-a-half later, a member of the public attended at the mother’s home to say she had seen the girl upset in the playpark with her dad asleep on the ground.
The mother called the ambulance service, who in turn contacted police as a crew was not immediately available.
Officers attended at the park and found the accused lying unresponsive, said Mr Piskorz.
It was not known how long the dad was passed out for.
The fiscal depute said: “The accused was lying unresponsive in the foetal position under a swing.
“An empty bottle of vodka was by the accused, and he smelled very strongly of alcohol.”
Mr Piskorz added: “He was breathing and grunting when spoken to by officers but could not converse or sit up due to his level of intoxication.”
‘I am stupid’
A member of the public wrapped the child in a blanket to provide some warmth as she was “cold and crying.”
The fiscal depute continued: “When officers arrived they struggled to find the playpark due to how dark it was at that time and no street lighting covering that play area.
“The girl was left alone in the cold, uncared for but also alone in the dark.”
A short time later an ambulance crew arrived and got the dad into the ambulance. He was assessed as fit and released.
He was charged over the offence three days later and replied: “I am stupid, I should not have done it.”
The dad, who is from the Inverkeithing area pled guilty to wilfully neglecting his child in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health, and drinking so much alcohol that he passed out drunk and left the child unattended in a public place.
Sheriff Susan Duff adjourned sentence until September 14 for the production of background reports.
