A TEENAGE boy whose mother feared he was being 'exploited and groomed' was found at the home of a woman despite her being warned by police, a court heard.

Magistrates were told that the teen's mother was concerned about him being at the home of Chloe Holmes, who had been told by police she should not take the child to her home in Barrow.

The child's mother feared he was visiting the address to drink and take drugs, the court was told.

Holmes, 21, admitted keeping a child away from a responsible person when she appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre described how the teen, who cannot be identified due to his age, was reported missing by school staff in March.

After school staff raised the alarm that the child was missing, police eventually located the youth at Holmes's property.

The court heard that on the day, police visited the defendant's home, in Barrow's North Street, to find the lights off at the property and with no answer.

Mr Dacre said a member of the public told officers they had seen the child enter the house and not come out.

The teen was eventually found in the home.

Mr Dacre said Holmes had been previously issued with a child abduction warning.

In a statement to police explaining her fears for her son, the teenager's mother said: "I don't want him to be around Chloe Holmes as I have concerns about him being exploited or groomed."

In mitigation, solicitor Liz Phizacklea said: "She tells me she has not deliberately abducted the male.

"On a number of occasions the address has been somewhere where they can drink alcohol and smoke weed but the defendant is adamantly of the view that she has never supplied any of them with any alcohol or drugs.

"What has happened is that she has turned a blind eye."

Ms Phizacklea told the court Holmes had since taken steps to stop the child coming to her home and had stopped drinking or taking drugs.

Sentencing Holmes, chair of the bench Leslie Johnson told the defendant: "We've thought long and hard.

"It's been a difficult decision for the three of us, especially given that you had previously had warnings from the police and had ignored them."

 Holmes was sentenced to a 12-month community order requiring her to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days.