A MOTHER who dumped her three-year-old daughter in woodland claimed she was trying to protect her from "The Candyman", Warrington Crown Court heard.
Former soldier Michelle Jones, aged 24, made the admission about the horror movie character to a psychiatrist, called in after she confessed to abandoning daughter, Charlotte, in Gypsy Wood, Collins Green, for more than 30 hours.
Prosecutor Simon Mills said Jones, of Lewis Avenue, Dallam, had told the little girl that "she was going to get some sweets and never came back."
Temperatures in the area dipped as low as three degrees, according to Mr Mills, and when Charlotte was discovered by detectives she was sobbing and covered in scratches.
She was cold, had no shoes on and was crying "mummy, mummy", the court heard.
At Friday's hearing, sentence was deferred on Jones by Judge David Hale until May 21, so psychiatric reports could be fully clarified.
Jones sobbed as Mr Mills told the court how the girl was unable to walk after her ordeal because her feet had swollen and that medical experts believed if she had been left for 24 hours longer she would almost certainly have died.
Hours before Charlotte's disappearance, Jones had informed a friend how she was tired of living in Warrington and wanted to move with her daughter to Chester.
The defendant repeated this to a visiting social worker who was so concerned that he left her home to consult with colleagues, promising to return shortly, the court was told. Jones was then seen driving away at speed - only to return a short while later, when she was met by the social worker and a mental health expert.
Police were called in after Jones claimed Charlotte had disappeared, sparking a major search which attracted national attention. Jones said Charlotte had followed the social worker when he had left the house.
"But as we now know that was untrue because the defendant knew full well that she had abandoned her in woodland," said Mr Mills.
Defence counsel Michael Davies said: "The question that is posed by this case to the court is should she be punished or should she be treated."
The court heard a report had been prepared on Jones by experts at Stockton Hall, a private mental hospital - but Mr Davies had only received it shortly before the hearing and told the court he needed time to digest its recommendations.
It was clear Jones suffered from a personality disorder and doctors at Stockton Hall had been successful in treating such conditions, added Mr Davies.
Bailing Jones to a hostel, Judge Hale ordered further inquiries to be made about the defendant's mental health.
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