Gold Coast crime: Toddler nearly died after drinking liquid fantasy left in family home

A Gold Coast toddler stopped breathing and nearly died after he drank the drug liquid fantasy after his mother hosted a house party, a court has been told.

A GOLD Coast toddler stopped breathing and nearly died after he drank the drug liquid fantasy after his mother hosted a house party, a court has been told.

The 24-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, found the errant 4-hydroxybutanoic acid lactone (GHB) in a shot glass inside a terracotta pot her two-year-old boy had gifted her for Mother’s Day.

She hid the pot and the shot glass, roughly one-third full, on a shelf about 1.8m high in a different room, the court was told.

The 24-year-old mother.

The pair were watching movies together later in the day when the mum left the room.

She returned a minute later and her son exclaimed “yuck” while clutching the shot glass, the court was told.

The boy had consumed the clear liquid.

Facing Southport Magistrates Court today, the woman pleaded guilty to negligent acts causing harm and unlawfully possessing a substance on July 6.

Prosecutor Caitlin Usher told the court the mum rushed to her son’s aid and prevented “the situation becoming worse”.

“She immediately induced the child to vomit and called triple-0,” she said.

“The ambulance service attended and the victim child lost consciousness and began to stop breathing.

“The victim child was immediately intubated and induced into a coma upon arrival at the Gold Coast University Hospital.”

Ms Usher said the boy was given medication “to counteract the effects of the liquid” and spent about five hours intubated.

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The mother cannot be identified.

“The treating doctor confirmed that without immediate medical intervention the child would have stopped breathing and died from the ingestion of the liquid,” she said.

“The victim child was expected to have nausea and headaches in the days preceding, but is expected to make a full recovery in the long term.”

Ms Usher said the liquid was tested and confirmed to be GHB.

The mum told police she was “under the impression the liquid was liquid fantasy”, but that “it did not belong to her, she did not know who it belonged to”, the court was told.

Ms Usher said the incident could be described “as a horrific accident”.

The woman had “limited” and “dated” criminal history and Ms Usher said a fine was appropriate.

Defence lawyer Farshad Sarabi, of Hannay Lawyers, told the court the Department of Child Safety had investigated, but took no action.

He tendered drug tests, which showed the mum was clean apart from valium prescribed to her.

Mr Sarabi said the woman was a “loving mother” and “by no means can we say this is an intentional act”.

Magistrate Ron Kilner said the incident was “nothing more than a tragic accident”.

The mum was fined $500 and placed on a $2500 good behaviour bond for one year.

No conviction was recorded.