A teenage mother has admitted leaving her sick baby alone in a hotel while she went out drinking.

The woman, who cannot be named so as to protect the identity of the child, pleaded guilty to wilfully neglecting a child.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes deemed the offence too serious for summary court and committed her to the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing.

Prosecuting advocate James Robinson told the court how the teenager was staying at the Ellan Vannin Hotel on Loch Promenade in Douglas on November 14.

Police received a call reporting concerns for her child, who is under two years old and was said to be alone in a hotel room.

Officers went to the hotel and were let into the room by the owner.

When they entered they found the baby face down in a travel cot with dried vomit on the bedding.

The room was said to be smelling of sour milk and untidy.

Police rang the woman but when they asked why her child was alone she hung up.

She arrived back at the hotel and was said to have charged at police shouting: ’F*** off’ and was subsequently detained and arrested.

She refused to engage with police saying: ’I want to see my baby. What have I done wrong?’

The child was put under a police protection order and the woman was taken to police headquarters.

A witness, who was a friend of the woman, said he had received a call from her saying she was lost in Onchan and when he asked about her baby by name she answered: ’Who?’

During a police interview she told police her baby had been vomiting the previous day so she had taken him to the hospital.

He had been discharged after 12 hours and she said she had then taken him back to the hotel and put him in the travel cot.

She said that her on/off boyfriend had rung her at 10pm asking her to go for a drink.

At first she said she had suggested that he come to the hotel, but he said that he could get a discount at Jaks so she went to meet him.

The woman said she drank three pints and a Jagerbomb during the three hours she was out.

She told police she would often leave the baby for brief periods to go out for a cigarette and because he didn’t settle when she was in the room.

She claimed that she had wanted to leave Jaks after one drink but her on/off boyfriend had refused to walk with her and she was scared to walk alone because of a previous incident.

The woman said they had then got into an argument and she had ended up lost in Onchan.

The court heard that she has no previous convictions.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood asked for a psychiatric assessment to be prepared before sentencing as well as a probation report.

Mrs Hughes declined jurisdiction saying that, bearing in mind the baby had been vomiting, there was a real risk of death with him being left alone for three hours.

The woman will appear at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on December 11.

Bail was granted in the sum of £500 with a condition to reside at her home address.