UK Shocker: Woman Hides Toddler Daughter in a Drawer for 3 Years to Keep Her Hidden From Her Partner

In a shocking incident, a woman kept her toddler daughter hidden in a drawer for three years. Reports indicate that the mother did not want her partner or her other three children to find out about the child.

The woman was sentenced to jail at Chester Crown Court in northwest England, where the judge stated that the child had endured a "living death" as a result of her mother's "terrible secret."

The toddler had never seen daylight or experienced fresh air. She was discovered with deformities and medical issues by the woman's partner after he entered the house to use the toilet.

The woman was not present when the man accidentally found the child in the drawer, which was located in the divan bed. When the man heard noises from the drawer, he informed family members, and later that day, social services attended the property, where they found the girl in the drawer.

The three-year-old girl was severely undernourished and only fed cereal through a syringe. She had never been allowed to socialize or interact with anyone else.

Reports also noted that the girl was left alone when her mother went to work, took the other children to school, or stayed with relatives over Christmas . The woman was charged with child cruelty and was jailed for seven and a half years.

Honorary Recorder of Chester, Judge Steven Everett, told the woman, "You starved that little girl of any love, any proper affection, any proper attention, any interaction with others, a proper diet, and much-needed medical attention."

"You attempted to control this situation as carefully as you could, but by sheer chance, your terrible secret was discovered," he added.

He also stated that the "consequences for (the child) were nothing short of catastrophic—physically, psychologically, and socially."

The child was described as an "intelligent little girl who is now perhaps slowly coming to life from what was almost a living death in that room."

Prosecutor Sion ap Mihangel said, "She was kept in a drawer in the bedroom, not taken outside, not socialized, and had no interaction with anybody else."