Mother abandoned children in filth-stained flat to go out drinking A mother abandoned her children in a filth-stained flat with only chocolate bars to eat while she went out on a drinking binge. The four-year-old boy and his 11-year-old brother raised the alarm with neighbours after becoming concerned about their mother's well-being when they could not contact her on her mobile telephone. Perth Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that the 36-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had a long-running problem with alcohol. Fiscal depute Jim Eodanable said: "At approximately 5pm the boys knocked on the downstairs neighbour's door. The children indicated they were concerned about their mother because they were unable to contact her by phone. The neighbour ascertained they had only eaten chocolate bars all day and she organised something for their tea. Several neighbours searched unsuccessfully for the mother and eventually managed to get hold of one of the children's relatives in Poland. The neighbours raised the matter with the police after learning from the 11-year-old that he and his brother had not been attending school "because their mother was unable to facilitate that due to her drinking." Mr Eodanable continued: "The neighbour went upstairs to get them clothing including pyjamas. She was struck by the unsanitary conditions within the living room of the property. There appeared to be urine and excrement on the sofa and foodstuffs which had been partly eaten but left. Mr Eodanable told the court the children's rooms were much tidier. The court heard that it was close to midnight when the mother was eventually traced and arrested. She admitted two charges of willfully neglecting or abandoning the children by leaving them in a Perth flat without food and drink and in unsanitary conditions on June 15. Solicitor John McLaughlin, defending, said the local authority had taken the children into care for their own protection because of the danger posed to them. He said his client had been struggling with an alcohol problem for a number of years and was embarrassed to send her children to school because of their condition. Her life, to an extent, was disintegrating around her ears. She fully appreciates the main concern for everybody is the welfare of the children," he said. Lack of resources meant she was embarrassed about the children going to school in that condition and she resolved to keep them off. It has been a wake-up call for her, realising how far she had let things slip. She realises now she can't just have one drink - it has to be complete abstinence. She has done her children no service by her actions. She is looking for an opportunity to get her life back on track. This was not a pre-planned abandoning of her children, but accepts it amounts to abandonment because she did not make proper provision for the children. Sheriff Michael Fletcher placed the mother on an 18-month community payback order and included a requirement for her to undergo alcohol treatment.