Girl aged 6 locked out of home 'so mother could have sex with boyfriend'

Denied: Jolisa Renee Peterson initially claimed she did not know her daughter had been locked out

A US mother has been accused of locking her six-year-old daughter out of their apartment so she could have sex with her boyfriend .

Jolisa Renee Peterson, 22, was charged with child endangerment for allegedly locking her daughter out of their home in Houston, Texas.

The little girl then walked half a mile, crossing two roads and ending up at a petrol station.

She was picked up by concerned cops when she subsequently tried to cross a busy road junction by herself.

She reportedly told the officers that her mother made her leave their home “because she was asleep with a boy".

Peterson was arrested and charged with endangering a child and appeared in court on Friday.

During questioning, she initially claimed she didn't know her daughter had left the property.

But, upon further investigation, police realised the front door of the property had been locked from the inside and that the girl did not have a key.