A grandmother who neglected her granddaughter over a five-year period has escaped being sent to prison.
School staff contacted the police after finding the child to be filthy and smelling of urine and smoke in class.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the child had head lice and couldn’t see properly as she was not given the glasses she needed.
Her attendance record amounted to only 57.4% over seven months.
On Wednesday, the woman, who can’t be named to protect the identity of the child, was sentenced to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order but warned that she faces being sent to prison if she breaches this.
She had pled guilty to a charge of wilful neglect of her granddaughter in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health at addresses in Perthshire between January 1 2006 and May 9 2011.
The charge stated she failed to seek adequate medical, eye and dental care, failed to ensure standards of hygiene were maintained, leaving her regularly smelling of urine and smoke and being infested with head lice.
The woman also admitted to failing to provide the child with clean clothing and failing to ensure she attended school on a satisfactory basis.
The court heard the child’s clothes smelt of urine and smoke and that this was commented on by other pupils.
School staff had found the child to be ”unkempt” and discovered she had head lice every few months.
During a school medical examination it was established that she had difficulties with her vision and that her grandmother had missed numerous medical appointments, including eye checks.
From August 18 2010 to March 1 2011 the girl only had a 57.4% school attendance, and was absent for 92 days 62 of these being unexplained.
Solicitor Steve Lafferty, defending, said ”things were not all bad” during this period.
”My client has seen a doctor who found her to be a thoughtful and caring individual,” he said. ”The result of this case is that her granddaughter is not in her care now and never will be.”
Sentencing the woman, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told her: ”Be left in no doubt this is a serious charge you face. It is a charge basically involving neglect over a five-year period. However, I take into account the fact you are a first offender.
”But if you come back before me having breached the community payback order the likelihood is that you will lose your liberty.”