Australian woman charged with poisoning 1-year-old girl by posting donation videos, police say

An Australian woman has been arrested for allegedly giving a 1-year-old girl a variety of drugs to make her sick over a period of several months, then posting videos of the infant online to solicit sympathy and donations, local police said.

The child was “extremely depressed and in pain” for more than two months, between August and October last year, Queensland Police said in a news release on Thursday. The relationship between the 34-year-old woman, the police did not disclose, and the girl was not yet clear.

Police said the woman “made an effort to obtain” unauthorized medication, including “old medication” belonging to someone else in their home, and that she “carefully concealed” her attempts to give the child the medication, including when she was in hospital in Brisbane. where the child is hospitalized.

Hospital staff finally found out what the woman was doing and reported it to the police last October, authorities said. On January 7, a test done on the child came back positive for illegal drugs, police said.

According to BBC News, Detective Inspector Paul Dalton told reporters that the woman raised 60,000 Australian dollars, equivalent to $37,000, through GoFundMe donations.

He was arrested on Thursday at his home in Morningside, a suburb of Brisbane, on five charges of using poison with intent to injure, three of preparing to commit a crime with dangerous substances, and one of torture, child exploitation and fraud. , said the police.

According to BBC News, Dalton told reporters that the child is now “safe and doing well,” and no one else has been charged with the alleged abuse.