A BABY was taken to hospital for emergency treatment after swallowing the heroin-substitute drug methadone.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard it was a mystery how the girl, who was 18 months old, gained access to the bottles prescribed by a local pharmacy as they should have come with a locked child-safety cap.
Lorna McVey, 36, of Dalskeith Avenue, Ferguslie Park, admitted wilfully neglecting her by leaving the child alone unsupervised. The charge was raised under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act.
It was stated that McVey, a registered drug addict, was responsible for caring for the 18-month-old and another child aged almost three.
When McVey went to the toilet, leaving the children alone, they were able to climb on a chair and reach the bottles.
On her return, she was horrified when she found then both sitting on the carpet "in a pool of methadone."
Sheriff Robert Fife told the accused: "Fortunately, there was no long-term harm." He made her the subject of a two-year community payback order requiring supervision.
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