Hong Kong - The mother of a Hong Kong brother and sister who climbed down drainpipes from their 34th-floor home faces a potential jail sentence for child neglect. The girl, 7, and her brother, 5, were nicknamed "spider-kids" by the Hong Kong media after clambering down drainpipes in June to try to find some breakfast while their mother was asleep.
The girl was eventually pulled to safety by residents in a 28th-floor flat while the boy managed to get three floors further down before being rescued. Both children have since been put in care.
At a court hearing Tuesday, the children's 27-year-old mother pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect. She is to be sentenced November 25 and has been warned the offence carries a possible jail sentence.
The incident happened on a housing estate in Hong Kong's Tin Shui Wai district, an area labeled the City of Misery after a series of family tragedies.
They included two high-profile cases in which fathers killed their wives and children before committing suicide, prompting calls for more social service resources for the poor area.
