A ‘PARTY animal’ mum who left her two sons home alone to go out boozing has been dubbed a “nightmare neighbour from hell”.
Demi Heffernan, 25, had been downing drinks when she disappeared from her property in Bridlington, East Yorks – leaving her two boys, aged four and six, locked inside for two hours.
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The “terrified” brothers were found wandering in the street after they were left alone last year.
The youngsters had managed to clamber out of a window after propping a chair against the wall before knocking on a neighbour’s door in “distress” at 12.15am.
The concerned resident immediately alerted police, seeing Heffernan hauled off in handcuffs.
The single mum was given a 10-month suspended sentence at court in Hull yesterday after admitting to child neglect.
When approached by The Sun today, Heffernan, seemed unfazed, and simply said: “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve got nothing to say.”
Appalled neighbours described her behaviour as “disgusting” and branded her “awful”.
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One local, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, told The Sun: “She is an absolute nightmare neighbour.”
Another added: “I think it’s absolutely disgusting to leave your kids like that. She’s an awful neighbour.
“She’s loud and it’s always drama, like arguing with boyfriends and stuff like that. She definitely likes a drink. I haven’t seen her kids for ages.”
Other residents on the street described her as a “neighbour from hell”.
One said: “I do know she’s a party animal and very noisy. You used to hear her arguing with her boyfriend all the time.
“I think it’s absolutely awful to leave your kids like that. I’ve not seen her with her kids for ages.”
As well as a 10-month suspended prison sentence, Heffernan has to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Hull Crown Court heard Heffernan’s careless actions could have seen her boys abducted or a blaze could have broken out in the house.
Prosecutor Richard Thompson said she had been drinking at a friend’s home nearby before leaving to put her kids to bed at 10.30pm.
She allegedly intended to return, but by 11.30pm there was still no sign of her.
She’s loud and it’s always drama, like arguing with boyfriends and stuff like that. She definitely likes a drink.
Neighbour
Forty five minutes later, her six-year-old son knocked on the neighbour’s door while his younger brother wandered further down the street.
Police were called at 12.30am but Heffernan did not return home until around 1.15am.
Mr Thompson said: “The children were tired and distressed. They were taken to be cared for by their grandparents.”
Heffernan denied she had been drinking heavily and neglected her kids and accused her worried neighbour of “trying to set her up”.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said Heffernan was “remorseful” and the incident is “the biggest regret of her life”.
Judge John Thackray QC told her: “You made the decision at 10.30pm to leave two young children fending for themselves at home, aged four and six.
“It must have been extremely frightening for them. They were described by police when they attended the scene at about 1am as distressed.
“They were seen in the street. That’s the actual harm you caused.
“What would have happened if there had been a fire?
“What would have happened if a stranger had taken one of your children?”
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