Childminder Who Left 27 Children Home Alone Is Jailed for Two Years

Amanda Mathewson, a 55-year-old self-employed childminder from Dunfermline, Fife, has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care, with authorities discovering up to 27 youngsters at her home when she was registered to look after only eight. Sheriff John MacRitchie handed down the sentence at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, describing the offences as a "gross abuse of a position of trust" that created circumstances where "injury, terror and neglect were obvious and foreseeable."

The court heard that Mathewson, who had operated as a childminder for approximately three decades before her arrest in August 2024, committed the offences across multiple addresses in Dunfermline and elsewhere between September 7, 2023, and August 26, 2024. All victims were under the age of 16, with some less than a year old. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the scale of the operation only came to light when two suspicious parents arrived at her property and discovered children left unattended, shut away in rooms, and visibly distressed.

The investigation was triggered on August 26, 2024, when two parents became concerned after learning Mathewson had been spotted on a school run without their child, whom she was also supposed to be caring for. They observed her travelling to the school, confirmed their child was not with her, and proceeded to her home. Upon arrival, they found the front door unlocked and five school-aged children waiting in the garden. Upstairs, they discovered a group of very young children, including the parents' sons, with two youngsters strapped into pushchairs and described as "obviously distressed." Up to a dozen young children were shut inside a spare bedroom.

Sheriff MacRitchie told the court that the children had been left without adult supervision for at least 30 minutes on that occasion, marking the second time they had been abandoned on the same day. When Mathewson returned home to find the parents inside her property, one father told the BBC she "slumped to the floor" and appeared "like a child caught in the act of doing something they shouldn't be doing." He added: "Her entire life was a lie. She has fabricated pretty much her entire life, her entire personality. It just crumbled in an instant."

Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that Mathewson employed various methods to deceive parents and organisations about her conduct. She required parents to text before collecting their children, allowing her to hide other youngsters in rooms. Court documents revealed she would play loud music and refuse to let parents inside at drop-off times to "conceal how oversubscribed she was." On one occasion, she attended a church Christmas party with three children despite having nine in her care that day. Another time, she was seen at a sports day and a visit to Dunfermline fire station with fewer children than she was responsible for.

The court also heard that Mathewson had been given advance notice of an unannounced Care Inspectorate inspection on August 7, 2023, by an unknown member of staff, just weeks before her offending began. An internal probe confirmed she had likely been tipped off, although the source of the leak remains unidentified. The subsequent report rated her service as "very good" across all measures, describing children as being cared for in a "comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" with "warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach."

When arrested, Mathewson had 15 children aged under 12, ten children under primary school age, and two children under the age of one in her care. Her registration permitted a maximum of eight children at any one time, of whom only six could be under 12, and no more than one under 12 months.

Dozens of parents attended the sentencing, with more than 20 watching via an online feed. Mathewson, dressed in a black dress, showed no emotion as the sentence was delivered. One parent told journalists that "justice has been done today," adding: "We feel quite gratified that the sheriff has clearly recognised the seriousness of the offence and the period of offending and the potential risks to the children. We've fought from the very beginning to actually have the whole situation taken seriously."

Another parent described the lasting damage to trust, stating: "One of the hardest parts for me has been rebuilding the trust with my children, because they believed we knew what was happening and chose to send them anyway." She revealed that one of her children had been left to change babies' nappies and had to "sneak biscuits because they didn't get to eat anything." She added: "We are all working professionals. We needed flexible, affordable childcare, and that allowed her to pull the wool over our eyes because we needed her."

In October, the court heard that children would become "upset" when taken to Mathewson's home, and concerns were raised that children had not eaten while in her care, returning home thirsty and in dirty nappies.

Following sentencing, a spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: "This was a shocking case and our thoughts are with those affected. Amanda Mathewson broke the trust of families and children, and the crime for which she is responsible has been dealt with by the courts." The organisation confirmed it had reviewed its working practices, updating inspection, complaints, and conflict of interest procedures, and providing clearer resources for families. The spokesperson emphasised: "This case does not reflect the wider childminding sector. The overwhelming majority of childminders in Scotland provide safe, nurturing care for children, with more than 90% receiving grades of good or better at inspection."