Scots woman who dangled 4-month-old baby out third-floor window dodges jail

A woman who dangled a baby out of a third-floor window has been spared jail.

Natalie Hutchison, 42, held the four-month-old boy, who was in a car seat, from the bedroom window which had a 30ft drop to the ground below.

A horrified member of the public contacted police who raced to the scene in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, last April. Before police arrived, another woman inside the flat managed to grab hold of the car seat and return the youngster to safety.

They arrived to find Hutchison and two other women in the flat. Officers believed an 'irate' Hutchison was on drugs because her pupils were dilated and she had white froth coming from her mouth but she denied taking any substances.

Hutchison, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted culpable and reckless conduct.

She also pled guilty to assaulting the two other women in the flat as violence flared before she held the baby out of the window. Sheriff John Hamilton KC placed her under supervision for a year.

Describing the moment Hutchison dangled the baby from the window, depute fiscal Miriam Farooq said: "The accused ran to the bedroom area and pushed open the window and held the car seat out the window while the baby was sat in the car seat.

"The window was a third-floor flat window with a 30ft drop to the ground below. A passer-by down below heard screaming and looked to the flat and saw the accused dangling the car seat out of the window.

"Another woman in the flat grabbed the car seat from the accused and pulled it back inside. Police have then attended and the member of the public said 'she was hanging a baby in his car seat out of that window'. Police made their way to the locus where they could hear the sound of a disturbance."

The prosecutor added: "Police entered the flat and saw the child was safe and being held by another woman but described the accused as being irate.

"Officers noted the accused appeared to be under the influence of drugs as her pupils were dilated and she had a white froth at her mouth but she denied being under the influence and was arrested."

Ian Moir, defending, said: "She seems to have had a shock from this and is horrified by her conduct."

Sheriff Hamilton said: "The important thing is that there were no physical consequences for the child."

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