McCanns: No jail for child neglect couple

McCanns: No jail for child neglect couple

A Birmingham couple whose house caught fire after they left three children alone inside have been given suspended jail sentences.

A woman, 23, had been taking a fourth child to school when fire broke out at the home in Tyseley, in February 2008.

She got home in time to rescue the children, all under four years old.

She and her husband, 37, were give 18-week sentences, suspended for two years, after being found guilty of child neglect.

What we have here is a case just like the McCanns where 3 children under 4 years of age were left unsupervised. In both cases it amounts to child neglect. And yet, the McCanns, also from the Midlands, have so far not been prosecuted. The only difference between the cases is that this couple are working class and the McCanns are middle class professionals.

This case highlights that it is not safe to leave 3 children under 4 years of age unsupervised, in spite of the McCanns claim that they thought it was safe, and provides a good example of why it is not safe and what can happen. There is not enough information supplied as to why the husband could not have taken the child to school on his own, and left the wife at home with the other kids. In any event, the McCanns can take some comfort from the fact that this couple were spared jail...