Childminder who left 27 children in her home alone and unsupervised is jailed for two years

A childminder who admitted to wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care has been jailed for two years.Amanda Mathewson, 55, looked after many more children than the eight she was allowed, and at one point 27 were found at her home in Dunfermline, Fife.Some of the children were found unsupervised in the garden and others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room.The offences took place at a number of addresses in Dunfermline and elsewhere between September 7, 2023 and August 26, 2024.They all involved children under 16 – with some being less than a year old.Mathewson took 'various steps' to deceive parents and organisations about her conduct.This included requiring parents to text her before coming to collect their children, and keeping other children hidden inside rooms when they did so.And it is reported she may have been tipped off about an unannounced inspection of her service, which resulted in a glowing report by the Care Inspectorate.Today Sheriff John MacRitchie told her she had committed a 'gross abuse of a position of trust' and 'knowingly' created a situation in which 'injury, terror and neglect were obvious and foreseeable.'At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in October, Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health. Amanda Mathewson, 55, (pictured) previously pleaded guilty to wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care, at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, where dozens of local parents attended Mathewson took 'various steps' to deceive parents and organisations about her conduct At the same court on Friday, Sheriff John MacRitchie sentenced her to two years in prison.Mathewson, who was present in court and wearing a black dress, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.Dozens of parents attended the sentencing, while more than 20 watched via an online feed.Police swooped on Mathewson after two parents became suspicious when informed she had been spotted on a school run without their child, who she was also caring for.They travelled to the school, where they saw their child was not present with her, and then to her home, where they found children left on their own, shut away and screaming. When she was arrested, she had 15 children aged under 12, ten children under primary school age, and two children under the age of one in her care. She was only supposed to be looking after eight children at one time, only six of whom could be under 12, and one under 12 months. In October, a court was told how children would become 'upset' when taken to the childminder's home.Concerns were also raised that children had not eaten while in her care and that children would return home thirsty, the court heard. Other issues were reported by parents, including their children returning home in dirty nappies.Mathewson was also seen multiple times in public by parents with fewer children than she was supposed to be looking after.On one occasion, she attended a church Christmas party with three children, despite having nine children in her care that day. Another time she was seen attending a sports day and a visit to Dunfermline fire station with fewer children than she was responsible for.Court documents said that Mathewson would play loud music and not let parents into the home at drop-off time to 'conceal how oversubscribed she was'.Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before she was arrested in August 2024.She had been given a glowing report by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection on August 7, 2023 – just weeks before her offending began.She could have been tipped off about the inspection by an unknown member of staff, The Courier Focus reports. The report rated her 'very good' on all measures, and said children were being cared for in a 'comfortable, welcoming and homely environment' and with 'warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach'.It said: 'Amanda Mathewson operates a childminding service from their home in a residential area of Dunfermline, Fife.'The childminder may provide care to a maximum of eight children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months.'This is a breaking news story and is being updated.