Mum found son foaming at mouth after leaving him in car for hours as she gambled

Kaija Millar, 34, left 14 month-old Easton in the car for almost five hours while she played bingo and slot machines inside a hotel – before lying to those who came to help

A mother who found he son foaming at the mouth and convulsing after being trapped in a baking hot car while she gambled has been jailed.

Kaija Millar, 34, left 14 month-old Easton in the car for almost five hours while she played bingo and slot machines inside a hotel.

Millar, jailed for three years after pleading guilty to negligently causing serious injury, parked the car outside the Melbourne hotel in Australia when temperatures had already reached 31C.

As Easton lay strapped in the car, temperatures rose to an agonising 37.5C.

An Australian court heard when Millar returned to the car at around 3pm in the afternoon, he was foaming at the mouth, convulsing and non-responsive.

She raced back into the Point Cook Hotel for help, lying to those who came about what had happened.

Millar told people inside the hotel her son was suffering from the bushfire smoke haze in the area – further lying to cover her tracks by saying he had only been in the car for two hours with the windows down and air conditioning on.

She told paramedics not to tell her husband she had been gambling and claimed she had checked on Easton every two hours, which CCTV footage disproved.

Although Easton survived his harrowing ordeal, he has been left with severe disabilities that “affect all aspects of his functioning”, reports 9News.

Judge Felicity Hampel said these disabilities were a direct consequence of Millar’s actions.

She told Millar: “This was not a tragic accident.

“Your son suffered these injuries because you left him unattended and uncared for inside a locked car on a scorching hot day.

“A reasonable mother.. would have realised her conduct… created a high risk of death or really serious injury.”

Millar’s defence said she former Uber driver had struggled as a first time mum, had experienced post natal depression.

They claimed she had a lower than average intellectual functioning which impaired her judgement.

However, Judge Hampel said Millar knew her actions were unacceptable as she went on to lie to those who came to help.

Judge Hampel said jail was the only option to punish Millar.