A woman abandoned a terrified boy in desolate woods – then tried to cover her tracks by claiming the child had gone missing.
Ashley McGovern drove to the dark countryside near her then home in East Lothian where she callously left the nine-year-old youngster to his fate. A large scale hunt soon began to find the child based on lies spouted by the 31-year-old.
He was only discovered 24 hours later with no shoes and socks on when a dog walker happened to hear him crying. The traumatised victim was left badly affected by his ordeal including suffering from brain injuries.
There was also evidence of cocaine and alcohol in his system having been exposed to them before being driven to the woods. McGovern was later charged having been held responsible for what happened.
She appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday. The first offender pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully neglecting the boy to his severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life.
McGovern had initially faced an accusation of attempting to murder the boy which included claims he had been repeatedly struck on the neck and body with a knife. She had been on bail, but was remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.
On September 9 2022, the boy had spent time in the company of others – including McGovern – that day. He was described as being in “good spirits” and was his “usual self” as he played with friends.
Around 7pm, the child got into McGovern’s car and she eventually drove into the countryside. She parked her motor at a lay-by next to Brock Wood near the small village of Spott in East Lothian. Prosecutor Alan Cameron KC said the sun had set for the evening and there was no other source of light in the area.
He added: “The boy was known to be afraid of the dark.” There had also been heavy rain that day making the woods muddy. McGovern then got back in her car around 8pm.
Mr Cameron: “She did not take the boy with her having left him in Brock Wood.” He was only wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt and jogging bottoms. The abandoned child also had no food or water. Just a minute after returning to her car, sick McGovern sent a text to a man asking if he had seen the boy.
He was concerned enough to immediately begin looking for him. McGovern initially told her own father that the boy was “missing”. She claimed to have dropped the child off near to the house of a man she knew for him to collect his bike and ride it back, but he had not returned.
Around 80 police officers, the force helicopter as well as mountain rescue and the coastguard were deployed in what was described as a “significant search operation”. McGovern meantime repeated to police the claims she had made to her dad as to when she had last seen the youngster.
It was around 7pm on September 10 – 24 hours after he had got into McGovern’s car – that he was finally discovered. It was only after a resident could hear a child in tears. The man went with his dog and followed the wailing until he found the boy deep in the woods off a path.
The distressed youngster was still in the same clothes he had on the previous night, but had no shoes or socks on. He was able to confirm his name, but appeared “extremely confused” and struggled to stand. Two pools of blood were found nearby. Mercy crews were alerted before he was stretched into an ambulance and taken to hospital.
The court heard he had injuries to his chest and neck as well as a suspected ankle fracture. Further tests revealed he had suffered a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen. Mr Cameron said his condition “deteriorated significantly” which included seizures, sight issues and involuntary movement of the limbs.
He ended up needing a wheelchair to get around. The advocate depute: “During his time in hospital, he underwent extensive rehabilitation with assistance from physiotherapy, speech and language therapy as well as specialist neurology medical teams.”
The boy was only able to leave on January 26 2023. The court heard his condition has improved, but he continues to have weakness on his right-hand side which is likely to be permanent. Mr Cameron said medics were stumped for some time as to the cause of the brain injuries.
But, one specialist – after reviewing the scans – said they could have been occurred by the ingestion of cocaine. A urine sample taken from the boy the day after he was found was further analysed. It was found have traces of the class A drug and a metabolite linked to the substance. There was also evidence of alcohol.
Mr Cameron: “The tests cannot distinguish between cocaine and crack cocaine.” A hair sample from the boy was taken on November 1 2022.
The prosecutor: “This was capable of providing an indication of exposure to drugs over a period beginning in late June 2022. It is not possible to say with any greater precision when that exposure was nor in what quantity. The findings were, however, consistent with exposure on more than one occasion. Also present was a substance (giving) a possible indication of exposure to crack cocaine.”
The victim was not interviewed until November 2023 as it was not deemed appropriate to do so before then. Mr Cameron said he spoke about the incident, but his account at times was “confused and contradictory” regarding how he ended up in the woods or who took him.
The prosecutor: “He did not state that McGovern was responsible.” McGovern had initially been arrested days after the boy was found, but released. She was eventually charged a week later, but made no comment.
McGovern, latterly of Haddington, East Lothian, also admitted in court to a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Little more was heard about her background today/yesterday other than she had been a “heavy” cocaine user who had owed money to a local dealer at the time.
Her KC John Scullion said: “She is certainly not someone who finds it easy to provide information. There have been issues in her life most notably her misuse of drugs. She has taken steps to address that problem.”
The defence advocate had asked for McGovern to remain on bail pending sentencing. But, judge Lord Young remanded her in custody as the case was adjourned for reports until December 19 in Edinburgh.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.