Influencer mum ‘hid girl under blanket to drug her unconscious’

A Queensland social media influencer allegedly hid her one-year-old girl under a blanket before administering an unprescribed drug through a nasal tube, rendering the child unconscious, a court has heard.

The alleged deliberate poisoning of her daughter, which police say was to solicit thousands of dollars in donations and online followers, prompted doctors to perform two surgeries on the child that could have been done when she was older.

The 34-year-old Sunshine Coast mother, who cannot be identified under state laws, appeared for her bail hearing in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The mother during her arrest. Credit: QPS

The magistrate was unable to determine immediately if she should be released because of the complexities of the case.

Wearing a light blue dress and sandals, the accused did not speak during the hearing.

The court heard the now 18-month-old girl had been diagnosed as an infant with genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis, which caused benign tumours in organs. A symptom of the disorder is epileptic seizures.

The court heard the medical view was that it was suspected that medication the girl had been prescribed was triggering seizures.

Her medication was stopped, but the court heard the woman still had prescriptions for that medicine.

Prosecutor Jack Scott told the court the woman had been charged with torturing her child through the administration of non-prescribed medicines, including carbamazepine.

It is alleged the crimes occurred between August 6 and October 15 last year.

Scott said some of the woman’s alleged offending had been caught on camera.

“She then moves the camera, which prosecution says is an attempt to evade detection ... the footage starts with the child alert and awake,” he said.

“She places the child under a blanket, she’s seen fiddling with the nasogastric tube and earlier ... she’s captured on that footage with a syringe that isn’t involved with the medication administered to the child.”

Scott said about 30 to 40 minutes later, the child was unconscious, which was not a symptom of her genetic disorder.

The court heard the woman made admissions to a former partner that she had administered the drug.

Scott said the woman also told a psychologist her daughter had developed cerebral tuberculosis, a rare but serious infection of the brain – and different to her diagnosis.

“All her behaviour suggests that the [woman] does not accept that her child suffers from a treatable, manageable, non-fatal condition,” he said.

“Her actions have created a serious extra symptom ... one occasion suffering a code-blue cardiac arrest requiring resuscitation.”

Scott said the alleged offences required the child to have surgeries that she would have otherwise had at a later point in life to have benign tumours removed from the brain.

“The obtundness, the unconsciousness displayed by the [alleged] victim child, was deeply concerning to the doctors because on their initial review it could not be caused by TSC.”

Defence lawyer Mathew Cuskelly submitted his client could be released on bail, with strict reporting and residency conditions.

He read an email from the Sunshine Coast University Hospital detailing the girl’s condition last week, when she was taken to hospital.

“[The girl] has been taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital today ... [she] is reported to have presented with shaking of her arms and head lasting no longer than 20 seconds at a time,” he read.

The email also said the girl had upper respiratory tract symptoms, and that the hospital was in contact with the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Cuskelly told Deputy Chief Magistrate Stephen Courtney the girl continued to present with symptoms.

He said his client had no criminal history and argued she should be released on bail.

Courtney adjourned the case until Wednesday morning.

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