A mother who dumped two babies because she could not bear the family “shame” of giving birth out of wedlock yesterday admitted child cruelty.

Bronagh Bond, 27, dumped five-day-old Holly on Christmas Eve, 2003, and abandoned her four-week-old sister, Angel, in July, 2006.

Holly was found at 7am near a block of flats in Walton, Liverpool. Angel was discovered at 7.30am with a dummy, a bottle and a handwritten note which apologised for abandoning her on a path in nearby Stanley Park.

Michael Jones, for the prosecution, told Liverpool Crown Court that Bond, from Walton, had panicked when she found out she was pregnant with Holly.

“She felt ashamed. She already had one child out of wedlock and was a single mother,” he said. “She felt that because she was from a close-knit family she could not bring shame on them and she did not want a termination.”

The court heard that Holly was the daughter of Bond’s former partner, while Angel was the product of a holiday romance in Turkey. She could not face bringing up the children.

Charlotte Kenny, for the defence, said that Bond had left the children in an area where she believed that they would be found quickly. She said Bond had a history of “late-discovery pregnancies”.

Ms Kenny said that Bond discovered she was carrying Holly as the relationship with the father was breaking down. She blanked it out and felt no emotional attachment when the child was born.

She said that when Bond found out she was pregnant with Angel she dreaded telling her family.

Ms Kenny said: “She found the prospect of their reaction too much to bear. She felt deep, deep embarrassment and profound shame. She put her parents on a pedestal and looked up to them as model parents.”

Ms Kenny said that her client had since sought advice on sterilisation and therapy.

The court was told that police had taken DNA samples from Holly and Angel which established that they were sisters but they were unable to find a match on the database.

Both babies were the subject of public appeals but Bond failed to respond. She only admitted being the mother last year, a day after being DNA-tested with her three sisters, when police discovered a close match between their brother and the babies.

Judge Henry Globe told Bond: “This is a sad case. That is apparent from the facts. You are essentially a good person.

“You do not have any previous convictions and I believe you have the capability to look after people well. It is fortunate that neither child has been physically adversely affected. How they might be mentally, only time will tell.”

Bond admitted two counts of child cruelty and was given a two-year community order, which comes with a two-year supervision order.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Eddie Cowan, said: “Police and social services have been supporting members of the children’s extended family, who were devastated when they found out. The family have done their utmost to help throughout the investigation.”

A total of 49 babies were abandoned in Britain in 2004, according to the most recent Home Office figures.

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