Staff at a Stirling nursery foiled a bid by a intoxicated woman to take a pre-school child from the premises without authority.
Hazel Kelbie, 39, used a false name when trying to collect the three-year-old – whom she knew but was not permitted to collect.
She fled when staff made investigations and was later found, collapsed, a short distance away.
The child’s mother visited the nursery, which cannot be identified, and picked out Kelbie from CCTV.
Nursery suspicions
Fiscal depute Rachel Wallace told Stirling Sheriff Court a member of the nursery’s administration team was working in the office when she overheard a conversation between Kelbie and a member of staff.
“(The staff member) noted a female had entered the nursery, attempted to try the security door without speaking to anyone and then said to a member of staff she was there to pick up (the child) and her name was Dianne.
“She was asked by staff if she had picked up (the child) before and she replied ‘yes’.”
The court heard the staff member knew there was only one child at the nursery by that name.
Ms Wallace said: “They also noted the accused was heavily under the influence and due to this, no child would leave with an intoxicated adult.”
The accused left and the nursery contacted the child’s mother, who had already picked up the girl.
“She had no idea who ‘Dianne’ was and had not asked anyone to collect (the child),” Ms Wallace said.
However, she instantly recognised Hazel Kelbie on CCTV footage.
Ms Wallace said Kelbie was a distant acquaintance of the mother but the child had not spent time alone with her.
She had requested to take her to the play park “when she is better and off drugs”, the prosecutor said.
Found nearby
Police were contacted and found Kelbie “in and out of consciousness” due to intoxication.
After a night in the hospital she was arrested and told officers “I’m gobsmacked and taken aback.
“That’s way out of character for me.”
She added: “That’s not true.”
Solicitor Virgil Crawford, defending, said Kelbie had little recollection of the incident.
Kelbie, whose address was given as Polmont YOI, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by attending at the nursery while intoxicated and requesting to uplift the child in September last year.
Sentence was deferred for reports and Kelbie was remanded in custody.
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