It was only a matter of time before this happened somewhere:
East Yorkshire mother jailed after son drowns in garden pond
East Yorkshire mother jailed after son drowns in garden pond
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A mother has been jailed for five years after her toddler son drowned in a garden pond while she chatted on Facebook.
Claire Barnett, 31, pleaded guilty to four charges of neglect at Hull Crown Court.
The court heard Barnett was using the site instead of supervising Joshua, two, who was playing in the back garden of the family home.
He was pulled unconscious from the pond and died later in hospital.
The incident happened at the family's home on Ferry Lane, Woodmansey, East Yorkshire on 17 March last year.
Prosecuting lawyer Peter Moulson, QC, said it was not known how long Joshua had been in the ornamental pond when his mother rescued him.
"It may have been as short as 20 seconds," he said.
"There was evidence the defendant had been on a mobile telephone in the lounge on Facebook when Joshua was at the pond.
"The danger present of this neglect was obvious."
The court heard that Barnett administered first aid to her son while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Defence barrister Timothy Roberts, QC, said Barnett had been getting ready to take the family's dog for a walk.
"She became distracted by a Facebook comment that was posted to her rather than the other way around," he said.
"Any mother going about the house can be distracted by a telephone or a washing machine."
Passing sentence, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said Barnett's "lamentably appalling parenting led to fatal consequences".
He added: "If you should have any further children, they will almost certainly be removed from you.
"You pose very serious risks to any child for whom you have responsibility."