Filthy conditions little boy was living in revealed in court
Shocking details have been revealed into how a little boy was forced to live in a disgusting home, which found he had more than six different prescription drugs in his system.
Illawarra Star
Don't miss out on the headlines from Illawarra Star. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An Illawarra woman broke down in tears in court on Friday, after the true extent of the filthy conditions she let her partner’s four-year-old son live in were revealed, with horrifying footage showing cigarette butts and power tools littered around his port-a-cot.
The 30-year-old woman faced Wollongong Local Court on Friday, after pleading guilty to neglecting her partner’s four-year-old son, who was found to be living in a filthy home with more than six different prescription drugs in his system.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to be sentenced on Friday, but Magistrate Roger Clisdell held his decision over to December 13, so she and her partner could be sentenced on the same day.
Both the woman and the boy’s 29-year-old mum have pleaded guilty to failing to provide for child cause danger of serious injury, after they were arrested by the Child Abuse Squad last year.
According to court documents, police began investigating the women, after a tip-off from doctors, with his medical records revealing his mum and her partner had taken the little boy to their GP 35 times in 12 months and emergency department a further 31 times.
On October 10, the mum’s partner took the boy to hospital, telling staff he had a “reduced oral intake”, believing this is why he was “lethargic”.
The boy’s condition improved while at the hospital and he was later discharged, with a pediatrician’s appointment booked for the following morning. But, the little boy’s condition worsened overnight with court documents revealing he was in “reduced state of consciousness”, and was unable to hold his head up, walk on his own and slurred as he tried to speak.
Both the boy’s mothers denied he had access to any medications in the house beyond simple painkillers.
The boy was admitted to hospital for observation and testing, which revealed he had benzodiazepines in his system. Benzos, as they are better known, are minor tranquillisers most commonly prescribed by doctors to relieve stress and anxiety and help people sleep.
Doctors confronted the boy’s mum and her partner about the results on October 12, who said they didn’t know where or when he would have found the drugs, but that “some tablets” had arrived in the mail a few weeks earlier but were “put up high” away from the child.
Child abuse squad detectives were alerted to the case, and later that afternoon they searched the family’s Unanderra home.
The footage of that search was played to the court on Friday, and showed the kitchen and dining table covered in food scraps and rubbish, with empty cans and containers scattered everywhere.
Most concerning to investigating detectives was the state of the room the boy shared with his mum and her partner. The footage showed lighters and cigarette butts littered around the little boy’s port-a-cot, while power cables and a drill were left in a mess on the floor. Cans and food scraps were piled on the bedhead and the floor, while several medications were stuffed in draws easily accessible by the boy.
During the search, police also found two “blister packs” of temazepam, plus another empty pack on the kitchen bench, as well as another packet with 18 tablets hidden in a high kitchen cupboard.
The little boy, who was still in hospital at the time of the search, was taken from his mum and her partner and placed in the care of Family and Community Services. While in hospital, court documents say the child made “remarkable improvements”, with his speech, and playful, active nature.
A later toxicology report revealed the little boy had a cocktail of prescription drugs in his system, including temazepam, amitriptyline — an antidepressant — and promethazine — used to treat nausea and vomiting and caffeine.
While investigators were unsure of how or when the boy ingested the drugs, text messages sent between the two women on the day of the boy’s last hospital admission saw them discuss the empty blister packet of temazepam.
“Why would they be down … It wasn’t me …” the mother said.
“I have no idea that’s the thing. I found the empty sachet which was a full sachet last time I knew in the bin,” the partner replied.
Court documents reveal the mother than began to panic, telling her partner “they”, meaning the doctors or police, were “going to f**k us n take [the little boy]”.
Her partner tried to calm her down, telling her she wouldn’t let the hospital take the boy’s urine for testing.
Scott Fraser, the 30-year-old woman’s defence lawyer, told Magistrate Clisdell on Friday that his client had taken full responsibility for her role in the boy’s neglect.
“She admits herself the house was in an absolutely putrid state,” he said.
“She is in absolute disgust at having allowed herself to get into that position.”
Mr Fraser said while he accepted jail time may be likely, he asked the magistrate to take into consideration his client’s past issue with mental illness, including bipolar disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Mr Fraser said his client had accepted the fact that she may never see the little boy again, and that she was “truly remorseful and contrite”.
The woman and the boy’s mum will return to court on December 13, where Magistrate Clisdell will hand down his sentence.