Heroin addict couple jailed

[FarangRed]

Heroin addict couple jailed for regularly giving baby methadone before she died to 'soothe her'


By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:14 AM on 16th July 2010


A drug-addicted couple who injected a heroin substitute into their sick baby hours before she died were jailed yesterday.
Bonny Richards, 28, and her partner John Davies, 32, regularly gave Holly Agius methadone in a 'misguided' attempt to soothe her, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Holly was 14 months old when she died in January last year from complications arising from a rare form of chickenpox.


Holly Agius, who died from complications arising from a rare and lethal form of chickenpox, was regularly given methadone by her parents



Post-mortem tests revealed that Richards and Davies frequently gave Holly methadone in the six months before she died, but this was ruled out as a contributory factor in her death.


Richards, of Broadwell, Gloucestershire, and Davies, of Scowles, Gloucestershire, admitted three counts of child cruelty.
Mr Justice John Royce sentenced Richards to 15 months in prison and Davies to 18 months.


He said: 'You were both recovering heroin users, you had methadone for that purpose. You should have known of its potential dangers.'


The judge said 'young and vulnerable' Holly was 'entitled to proper and responsible care'.

Jailed: Bonny Richards and her partner John Davies arrive at Bristol Crown Court for sentencing today



'You shut your eyes to the possible dangerous effects of administering methadone. It was reckless to the extreme. It was dangerously misguided.'


Mr Justice Royce said: 'On the sad night that little Holly died, she was in a distressed state. You, Davies, gave her methadone.'


Prosecutor Richard Smith said Richards and Davies started a relationship in the summer of 2008, and shortly after that began administering methadone to Holly.


Mr Smith said: 'By autumn 2008, Holly was teething. Bonny Richards was rubbing methadone into the gums.'


In early January last year, Holly caught chickenpox so the couple gave her more methadone.


Mr Smith said Holly went to stay with her father, Jason Agius, on the weekend of Saturday, January 10, where her illness worsened.


'In fact, Holly was suffering from a very serious form of chickenpox.'


Holly returned to the couple on January 11, in a 'distressed and unsettled' state, Mr Smith said, so Davies injected her with methadone.


Holly did not wake up the following morning, and was not breathing. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
Richards and Davies lied throughout police interviews, denying any knowledge of how methadone came to be in Holly's system.

Read more: Heroin addict couple jailed for regularly giving baby methadone before she died to 'soothe her' | Mail Online

[FarangRed]

Here is one of the replies to the article.

Methadone is a linctus and can not be injected. People believe it to be harmless because of this but it depresses the central nervous system - the autonomic nervous system that keeps us alive during sleep - and victims simply stop breathing and die in their sleep.

Interestingly, it was developed in Germany during the 2nd world war and used as a painkiller and given to German troops. It was originally called Adolphine after Hitler, but the name was changed after realising it wouldn't be marketable under that name.

It costs virtually nothing to produce and is still considered the biggest breakthrough in medcine in years. It is more addictive than Heroin and extremely difficult to come off but hey, lf it stops smackheads from robbing to get their fix, the government isn't going to stop handing it out any time soon. this baby is just one of hundreds of methadone related deaths every year in this country. It is still not included in drug warning pamphlets.

[HollyGoodhead]

I'm surprised that known heroin addicts don't have their children taken from them... yes they were recovering, but still...

RIP little one.

[Davis Knowlton]

Junkies really are disgusting pieces of filth.

[FarangRed]

The kids are usually born addicts are they not?

[mr Fred]

Junkies really are disgusting pieces of filth.

They do tend to be scumbags.

[Davis Knowlton]

^^If the mother is still using while pregnant, yes.