A 27-year-old mother was arrested after having left her toddler alone at home so that she could go out with her friends on New Year’s Eve.

The incident came to light just before two a.m. on New Year’s Morning in the centre of Fuengirola, when a neighbour phoned the police to say that a small girl was out on a balcony crying her eyes out.

The Policía Local sent a patrol, who upon arriving at the door could hear the child sobbing on the other side. Despite repeated calls at the door, nobody opened it.

With the arrival of a Policía Nacional patrol, the decision was made to force the lock. They found the girl, who was naturally pretty frightened by what had happened, as well as having been left alone.

The mother has been charged with “temporary abandonment.”

(News: Fuengirola, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)