Sherrie Charlton-Wesley and Bradley Staude did not tell ambulance officers their toddler ingested GHB, despite breathing problems

Two parents took hours to admit that their toddler had ingested 10 times the lethal dose of GHB – but the child miraculously survived, a court has heard.

A mother whose toddler ingested a highly lethal amount of GHB has told a court she was not present when it happened and feared repercussions if she told ambulance officers about the illicit substance.

Sherrie Charlton-Wesley, 27, and her former partner, the child’s father Bradley Justin Staude, 29, of Peterborough appeared in the District Court on Wednesday after earlier each pleading guilty to a charge of criminal neglect over the March 2020 incident.

The court has previously heard the then 20-month-old made a “miraculous” recovery after recording a urine level of 10.7g per litre of GHB – 10 times the amount which could kill an adult.

Brittany Armstrong, for Charlton-Wesley, said her client did not see the child ingest the GHB and Staude, who claims he saw the child too late, had not told her immediately.

She said Charlton-Wesley was the one who called the ambulance – but not until 2.19am, about 3.5 hours after Staude first used her phone to conduct a Google search for symptoms of an overdose.

Sherrie Charlton-Wesley. Picture: Facebook

Bradley Staude ileaving Adelaide District Courts. Picture: Morgan Sette

The court heard the pair say the incident occurred about 10.30pm, while Charlton-Wesley became aware of what had occurred by at least 11.46pm.

“She accepts by her plea he should have done more to tell the ambulance officers what had been ingested,” Ms Armstrong said.

“She did not do enough to ensure that authorities knew exactly what had happened to prevent further harm to the child.

“She has described the offending and her behaviour in relation to it as reckless and stupid and she should have known better.”

Ms Armstrong said her client feared repercussions from Staude if she told ambulance officers what the child had ingested, but the court heard those fears were her perception rather than anything which had occurred between the duo.

The court heard the child could be heard struggling to breathe in the background of the triple-0 call.

Ms Armstorng said her client – who also pleaded to three charges of breaching her bail conditions – had a traumatic upbringing and complex mental health issues.

She said the mother of five spent many years of her life being cared for by a paid nanny before becoming pregnant with her first child at 14.

Charlton-Wesley is being housed in protective custody due to threats made against her while in prison.

The court heard both parents, who met via an online dating app a decade ago, had been drug addicts, and that messages on Charlton-Wesley’s phone indicated both had used methamphetamine and GHB.

Taylor Johanson, for Staude, said sentencing submissions for Staude had been made to the court on an earlier occasion. She said the relationship between the couple had been “mutually volatile” and that Staude no longer used drugs and significantly rehabilitated since the incident.

Prosecutor Lisa Dunlop said the only appropriate penalty for each parent was an immediate jail term, while the former couple’s lawyers each sought a more lenient home detention or suspended sentences.

“Children are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. They are completely and utterly dependent on the adults that are responsible for their care, their safety and their wellbeing.

“Both of these defendants have failed that child. But for the actions of the paramedics and doctors and nurses, this could have been a very much more serious outcome.

She said the experience would have been “utterly terrifying” for the child. She said the explanation from the duo, that the child had ingested the drug late at night while outside was “implausible” and that it had more likely occurred inside the home.

Judge Joanna Fuller adjourned the matter for a further submissions hearing next month.