Man tried to murder baby with poison milk bottle
Monster gets 25 years after newborn girl fought for life
ABIRMINGHAM man who tried to kill a baby after internet searches has been jailed for almost 26 years.
Jamar Bailey, 21, searched ‘how to poison’ and ‘how to kill’ a child before attempting to murder the tot.
Bailey, of Augustine Grove, Winson Green, admitted attempted murder and was jailed for 25 and a half years and barred from ever working with children or vulnerable adults.
Bailey, who appeared via video link, was also handed a four-month sentence for possession of black mamba with intent to supply, which will run concurrently.
Birmingham Crown Court Judge Roderick Henderson told Bailey: “There are two very clear victims.
“There is the baby who you attempted to kill but significant aggravating feature of this case is the other victim, her mother.
“That baby was taken from her, she herself was suspected of trying to kill her own child and at a time when a mother is expecting to bond with that child, [the baby] was deprived of that. In my judgment that other aspect, the second victim, makes it much more serious.
“I apply a 15 per cent discount because your plea was late in the day, you left it until you were backed into a corner. There is a significant risk of harm to people as a result of you potentially repeating this offence.”
William Boyce QC, prosecuting, said the three-week-old victim was placed in an intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital after the incident on June 27, 2020.
A urine test detected sodium valporate – a drug used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder and potentially fatal to the newborn.
Police were notified as the drug could not have been ingested accidently. Several items were seized and toxicology tests found evidence of the drug in the baby’s milk bottle.
Alarmingly, detectives also found a search history on Bailey’s mobile phone for ‘how to poison a baby’ and ‘how to kill a newborn baby’.
Mr Boyce said: “The baby woke crying. Her cries seemed different so her mother called 111.
“The next day, June 27, she was fed for a short time. When she next woke she was not latching onto the breast and her arms just dropped back. 111 called an ambulance immediately. She was extremely unwell, hypothermic and unresponsive to stimulus.
“The initial investigation was around possible infection. She was unstable and transferred to the paediatric ICU.
“She was ventilated she received treatment for raised ammonia levels. Her mother was always present at hospital. The doctors concluded that she sustained significant harm as a result of being administered sodium valproate.”
The baby could have gone into a coma, suffered liver damage, low blood pressure – but fortunately made a full recovery from her ordeal, the court heard. But it will not be known until she is older if there are any lasting effects.
John O’Higgins, defending, said the “absence of any similar offending” along with Bailey’s “age and immaturity” were the main mitigating factors.
He told the court Bailey had been assessed as having special educational needs earlier in life and was “inarticulate” and lacked intelligence.