Mother let her three-year-old son smoke11:00 AEST Fri Jan 23 20091 day 3 hours 13 minutes ago
A young mother talked on the phone as her three-year-old son smoked a cigarette, a court has heard.
Mother-of-three Kelly Pocock, 24, attended court in Wales yesterday after a family friend filmed the toddler's habit and alerted authorities, Daily Mail has reported.
The prosecutor said the boy in the video did not appear to be experiencing discomfort as he was drawing smoke, suggesting he had smoked before.
"The video demonstrates the boy placing a cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with a lighter and sucking," he said.
"It's clear that the boy, at the age of three, knows what to do with a lighter and cigarette."
Although the boy was sitting on a chair near his mother at the time, Ms Pocock claimed she did not know he was smoking because she was on the phone.
Since the incident Ms Pocock has attended six parenting courses.
Her lawyer claimed she has now been able to prove herself and was now "putting her children before herself".
Despite labelling the case "an appalling situation", the judge gave her a 40-week jail sentence but suspended it for two years.
"This offence would normally cross the custody threshold but I do not want to cause your children any further emotional harm by separating them from you," he said.
Ms Pocock previously admitted to one charge of child cruelty.
