Carly Jane Wren handed suspended sentence after her two-year-old son drank fantasy from open bottle left on kitchen bench

A mum left an illegal drug out on the kitchen bench which her two-year-old then drank while she wasn’t watching, a court has heard.

Carly Jane Wren was handed a suspended sentence after her two-year-old son drank fantasy from an open bottle left on the kitchen bench. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Mariuz

A two-year-old boy was left “unconscious or semi-conscious” and very pale after he drank the drug fantasy from an open bottle his mother had set down on the kitchen bench, a court has heard.

The toddler’s heart rate had slowed by the time paramedics arrived at the family home at Mount Torrens, in the Adelaide Hills, in June of this year.

His mother, 35-year-old Carly Jane Wren, told police she had used the drug, also known as GHB, to help her sleep and stored it in a water bottle on a ledge near her bed.

Sentencing Wren in the District Court on Friday, Judge Ian Press said she had picked up the bottle to put a lid on it when her phone rang.

“You walked into the kitchen with the bottle and placed it on the bench and then returned your attention to the phone,” he said.

“While you were not paying attention, he entered the kitchen, climbed a stool to get access to the bench, took hold of the bottle and drank from it.

“You saw him with the bottle to his mouth and were not sure if he had ingested any of the drug.”

Judge Press said Wren washed her son’s mouth out and gave him a sandwich, but he fell asleep while eating and she had to clear food from his mouth.

When the boy became “unsteady”, her partner called an ambulance and they administered first aid until help arrived.

He was taken to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where he was treated with oxygen and an intravenous line and his condition returned to normal within three hours.

Carly Jane Wren (left) covered her head and made no comment as she left the District Court on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kathryn Bermingham

A supporter (right) repeatedly told the media to “f*** off” after Carly Wren was handed a suspended sentence for criminal neglect. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kathryn Bermingham

Judge Press said Wren’s drug use had escalated since the beginning COVID-19 pandemic, when her sporting commitments were cancelled and she homeschooled her other son.

He said she made full admissions about what happened and got help for her drug problem after her arrest, including counselling and a placement in a rehabilitation house.

Her lawyer had asked the court not to record a conviction against her, however Judge Press said her actions were too serious and the child could have been harmed or killed by ingesting the drug.

“I accept that, in any household, it is simply impossible to watch children every minute of every hour or every day and that, within any household, there are always dangerous items,” he said.

“The difference ... is that, whilst many household items are potentially dangerous, they are introduced into the house because they are part of our everyday lives and they each serve an innocent purpose.

“You introduced an unlawful and dangerous item without an innocent purpose into the house.”

Wren, pleaded guilty to criminal neglect causing harm and was sentenced to three months and 19 days in prison.

However, the sentence was wholly suspended on an 18-month bond, which includes a condition she submit to drug testing as required.

Wren covered her head and made no comment as she left court, but a supporter repeatedly told the media to “f*** off”.