Jerome Banu death: Woman charged over Mackay teenager’s death

A woman charged over the death of Mackay teenager Jerome Banu allegedly gave the teenagers opioids, telling them it would get them high.

A woman charged with the death of a Mackay teen allegedly told him the drugs were good for getting ‘high’.

Jerome Banu was 15 when he died of a tramadol overdose at a North Mackay home in September last year, an incident that left his five of his friends in hospital.

Mackay Child Protection Investigation Unit Officer in Charge Emma Novosel said the woman had been legally prescribed the drugs in May last year for a chronic injury.

But instead of taking them as prescribed, the woman, 36, had allegedly stockpiled the drugs.

Jerome Banu was 15 when he died of an alleged tramadol overdose at a North Mackay home in September last year, an incident that left his five of his friends in hospital. Picture: Facebook

“She told them if they took [the drug] they could get high”, Senior sergeant Emma Novosel said police alleged.

Jerome Banu was one of six children aged between 12 and 16 who she allegedly gave the opioid to at her home on Malcolmson St on the night of September 29.

“We know the kids were there socialising, looking to party, and perhaps that’s how the offer of pain medication arose,” Sergeant Novosel said.

Mackay Child Protection Investigation Unit OIC senior sergeant Emma Novosel. Picture: Lillian Watkins

She said police would allege the woman showed the children the pain medication telling them if they could get high off it.

“She then distributed the tablets to each of the children who were there,” Sergeant Novosel said police alleged.

Sergeant Novosel said police would allege Jerome Banu had woken up throughout the night unwell and vomiting.

At the time, QAS senior operations supervisor Ross Vickers said the teenagers’ health deteriorated while paramedics were on scene. Picture: Matthew Forrest

“He had been showered and placed back to bed, then later in the early hours of the morning, one of the other [kids] located him unresponsive and triple zero was phoned,” she said.

Emergency services were first called after Jerome went into cardiac arrest just after 10.20am on September 30. He died on October 1.

Friends of Jerome Banu expressed their heartbreak at the death of the Jerome Banu on social media as the mother of one of the group who overdosed expressed her frustration at the “ridiculous” legislation she believed was stopping her from keeping her only child safe.

‘There was high levels of anxiety involved and most of the patients had a high blood pressure and their hearts were racing much faster than normal’. Picture: Matthew Forrest and Lillian Watkins

Paramedics have described the scenes of horror that unfolded as they were called to the Malcomson St home, finding children in varying stages of illness scattered throughout downstairs rooms.

At the time, QAS senior operations supervisor Ross Vickers said the teenagers’ health deteriorated while paramedics were on scene.

Jerome Banu was 15 when he died of an alleged tramadol overdose at a North Mackay home in September last year, an incident that left his five of his friends in hospital. Picture: Facebook

“There was high levels of anxiety involved and most of the patients had a high blood pressure and their hearts were racing much faster than normal,” Mr Vickers said.

“The general appearance and behaviour from the other children on scene eventually was one of disbelief and shock.”

Police took blood samples of the teenagers, sending them to Brisbane for testing to determine what substance was. Picture: Matthew Forrest

Sergeant Novosel said the woman was the only adult present for the duration of the night.

She said another young man came and went in the night but was not involved in taking the drugs.

The woman was found and arrested in Brisbane on Wednesday.

She was charged with manslaughter, grievous bodily harm, two counts of negligent acts causing harm and two counts supplying medicines or hazardous poisons.