AN abusive mother who was spared prison after neglecting her children and dragging her young daughter out of bed by her hair flouted her suspended sentence order and failed to attend court.

The mother, from Clacton, was warned a prison sentence could be activated if she failed to attend probation appointments or complete her unpaid work.

The mum, who the Gazette elected not to name to protect the anonymity of the victims, failed to properly feed, wash and care for her children.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard concerns were raised when she shouted and screamed at an ambulance crew called to help her.

The ambulance officers became concerned about the state of the home and the “malnourished” children.

Things again came to a head when a family member paid a visit to the mother’s home and found the front door open.

The house was a complete mess, with two of the children sitting “unwashed and hungry” on the sofa while the mother slept in an upstairs bedroom, the court heard.

The family member saw the mother pull one young girl out of bed by her hair, before kicking the child across her lower back.

The children were removed from the home and the police were called.

When officers arrived the mother was behaving aggressively in a communal hallway, before confessing she had a Stanley knife in her pocket.

She admitted four counts of neglecting a child and one count of possession of a knife.

On July 1 last year, Judge Christopher Morgan sentenced her to 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

She was ordered to complete a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard the children had been placed in the care of others.

The case was relisted before Judge Morgan yesterday after the defendant failed to keep in contact with the probation service, missing a planned office visit on August 4.

Probation officer Kevin Diwell said: “There’s also an incident on July 22, which isn’t in the breach report, where [the defendant] left an abusive voice message for her probation officer.”

The mother failed to attend the hearing, telling the court her absence was due to her “awaiting the arrival of an ambulance”.

Judge Morgan issued a warrant for her arrest, with an order for her to attend court on Friday, August 19.