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Woman jailed over Methadone dummy

52 replies

fifitot · 08/06/2010 17:01

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_east_and_fife/10264909.stm

Not that giving babies drugs is especially unusual in some circles unfortunately but FFS.

OP posts:
MrsKitty · 08/06/2010 19:41

Was about to post the same link...

"She had no concept of how dangerous feeding methadone to a young baby was"

FFS just about sums it up

Cicatrice · 08/06/2010 19:47

Just hideous.

Why on earth did the mother allow them to babysit her baby?

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:30

So very sad - poor poor baby. The baby deserves so much better.

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:33

I really find this such an awful awful awful story.

I really really hope that the baby is being cared by people who will provide love and hope and a completely new beginning.

expatinscotland · 08/06/2010 23:34

He lived. Another little boy in E. Lothian did not when he got hold of his mother's and her partner's methadone. Still another was stuck in the flat with his dead mother's body for at least a week after she OD'd on junk and methadone.

Children and junkies don't mix.

She shouldn't have been allowed to take him home from hospital at all.

KerryMumbles · 08/06/2010 23:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

confusedmummie · 08/06/2010 23:36

The lawyer added: "She in no way intended to cause him any harm

"She loves him. She had no concept of how dangerous feeding methadone to a young baby was."

For fuck sake!! bull shit!! sorry but thats just wrong

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:38

expat - that is so horrible, you are so right.

The thought of a baby with a junkie is so terrifying.

I have heard of babies being given glue to stop crying - just so awful.

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:39

She loved her drugs - not her baby.

funnysinthegarden · 08/06/2010 23:39

I think she was babysitting the child. What sort of mother asks heroin addicts to babysit? Perhaps another fellow addict? Poor baby

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:40

.... and tell me, just how could you be the lawyer for the mother??? I could not do that at all.

confusedmummie · 08/06/2010 23:41

shouldnt have let her keep her baby untill clean!

winnybella · 08/06/2010 23:43

She was a babysitting, she's not the mother.

Although you wonder what kind of person the mother is for leaving her baby with a junkie.

funnysinthegarden · 08/06/2010 23:44

ahh but Bodenbore, you have to accept the instructions you are given and believe them as far as you can. Esp if being paid by legal aid.................

confusedmummie · 08/06/2010 23:46

i would quit the fucking job if i had to stick with a mother like that fuck lying about a story like that just for a bit of money!

funnysinthegarden · 08/06/2010 23:48

I couldn't do it confused but some have to after 6/10 years training

bodenbore · 08/06/2010 23:57

Sorry Sky were reporting the mother as dipping the dummy in the methadone...but I might have it wrong.

Funny...
...why do some have to after 6/10 years training?

funnysinthegarden · 09/06/2010 00:01

Because solicitors take up to 10 years to train and be qualified and not all of them are lucky enough to have a cushy job in commercial law. Some have to take whatever job they can and end up representing the 'innocent until proved guilty' brigade

expatinscotland · 09/06/2010 08:25

'Although you wonder what kind of person the mother is for leaving her baby with a junkie.'

In Leith? A reasonable guess would be a junkie on the game to fund the habit would leave her child with another junkie.

She is possible a relative of the baby.

weegiemum · 09/06/2010 08:43

Its a horrible story, poor child.

But (and its only a little but) - I work with women who can't read. I teach them to read! They can't read the dosage instructions on Calpol. They can't read the instructions for making up formula (and yes, most of them ff). They can't find out when the library is open. I taught one young woman who was so innumerate she had trouble reading the doctor's phone number and dialling it! Every time here baby was unwell, she dialled 999 as it was all she was able to manage.

One third of first time Mums in Glasgow are unable to fill in the prenatal questionnaire that the midwife gives them and also can't do their child benefit form. Functional illiteracy.

So while this is something that should never have happened, I suspect (and I also used to teach in Edinburgh) that you are looking at people who are sadly unable to access any information at all. To you and I it is obvious you don't give a child methadone. To other people, who live very chaotic lives and can't communicate properly, not so obvious.

I'm not defending them and Social Work should most definitely have been more involved before now. But I think it is very hard for people using a site like MN to understand the sheer chaos of some people's lives, and also the isolating factor (which I am not saying was the case here) of not being able to read and count which may have contributed to this.

I hope this poor baby is in a safe place now. But I think that there is a lot society can do to support women in this kind of situation, and that more shoudl be done. I'm so proud of some of the women I am teaching - one of them who couldn't read at all 3 years ago just sat her Standard Grade English adn Maths!

expatinscotland · 09/06/2010 09:07

If they can't read to dose their own methadone, then why are some clinics handing out up to a litre of the stuff to patients to take home for self-administration?

This person was rolling the dummy round in the measuring cup she'd used to administer her own methadone dose. So she wasn't really dipping it, but sort of going round the dregs with the dummy.

All the more reason why I feel no child should ever be released to women who use, are still on methadone or consort with other users (Caleb Ness, Brandon Murphy, Derek Wilson all lived with parents who were using and/or had parnters/associates who did).

They hung round in a crowd of folks like that.

I mean, think about it. If you're not a user or an addict, does your circle of friends include junkies?

I'm not convinced of the effectiveness of methadone.

I did a temp gig in a clinic once. Even teh director was skeptical and many of our clients openly admitted they were still using as well .

withorwithoutyou · 09/06/2010 09:12

Well said weegiemum.

Alouiseg · 09/06/2010 09:14

Fucking skank. Another reason for selective breeding.

weegiemum · 09/06/2010 09:20

Expat - I totally agree, the babe was very much let down by everyone - that's what I meant - if you can't read the instructions then you should have to go to the chemist every day for the dose.

(the chemist I use for my prescriptions if the local "methadone" chemist and the pharmacist is fabulous with the addicts you meet there - I think they have more of a chance tbh as they are seeing a professional every day for a few mins)

It is horrendous that people think this is OK. However, loading all the blame on the people who do it and not realising that there is a multi-factorial explanation for this kind of subsection of society is wrong. People can and do get out of it - if they want to, adn with the right help. THere should be more of the right help available!

expatinscotland · 09/06/2010 09:23

That is true.

I find it appalling and shocking that clinics in Scotland, not all, but some, are handing out relatively large quantities of methadone to clients to take home for self-administration. Ever. It's resulted in several child deaths, both in Scotland and in England, as some people can't make sure the drug is in a place where children will not get it.

They are probably doing it, however, due to funding issues.