What fucking hope does this poor kid have?
Mum charged after toddler eats pills
By Lisa Miller
July 14, 2003
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A WOMAN whose three-year-old daughter swallowed five ecstasy tablets has been charged with endangering the child's life.
In what is believed to be the first case of its kind in New South Wales, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, will face court later this month charged under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act.
Police will allege the woman, a 28-year-old from Campbelltown, was in a hotel room on the Hume Highway at Bass Hill when the incident occurred on June 27.
It is believed the woman is a sex worker who was entertaining at least one client while her child was in the room.
Detective Chief Inspector James Johnson, of Bankstown police, said the child might have mistaken the ecstasy tablets for lollies.
"The tablets were lying near a candy packet and it appears the young child picked them up and swallowed them," he said.
"She became very ill and was taken to Bankstown Hospital. From there she was rushed to the Children's Hospital at Randwick in a very serious condition. We believe the child started coughing violently and this was brought to the attention of the mother by another person in the room."
The girl has made a full recovery and is now in the care of the Department of Community Services, which is assisting the police investigation of the incident.
Her mother was charged at Maroubra police station later that day.
Insp Johnson said it was the first time something like that had happened in his area.
Under the Act, a person can be charged if they behave in a way which causes the physical injury or sexual abuse of a child.
Actions which cause emotional or psychological harm or which impair the physical development or health of a child also are a criminal offence.
Most cases of child abuse are prosecuted under the Act, but this is believed to be the first time a parent has been charged with allowing their child access to a dangerous drug. The mother faces a maximum penalty of $2200 and a possible jail term if found guilty.
Last week, a 10-month-old boy was taken to hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland, after swallowing a drug believed to have been ecstasy.
Last year the two-year-old daughter of British actors Jude Law and Sadie Frost was taken to hospital after swallowing an ecstasy tablet.
Iris Law was at a children's birthday party at a trendy London nightclub when she picked up the tablet from the floor and put it in her mouth. Doctors managed to remove most of the tablet and she escaped unharmed.
The Daily Telegraph