News from around the county Mother jailed after tot’s heroin death
A mother whose daughter died after taking her methadone has been found guilty of causing the two-year-old’s death.
Lucy King, from Dover, was in tears as she was jailed for three and a half years.
Her daughter Frankie Hedgecock died after drinking the heroin substitute she had left in a cup on floor at her home.
Judge Jeremy Carey sentenced her for gross negligence manslaughter saying she breached her duty to care for her daughter after hearing evidence that she delayed calling the emergency services by two and a half hours.
He said: “Had they been called straight away, the overwhelming probability is Frankie would have been saved with the available assistance of paramedics and skill of hospital staff, as well as the appropriate drug treatment.”
The 39-year-old, who had previous heroin issues and had been prescribed methadone, denied manslaughter and an alternative charge of child cruelty.
The court heard on Friday, June 5, 2015, King had been dozing on her sofa. When she woke up Frankie was on the floor pointing at the empty measuring cup. She went into panic mode and claimed the girl had been sick, then was fine and then she decided Frankie had not taken the substance.
A friend of King arrived just after 9.30am for a shopping trip and around 20 minutes later Frankie was found floppy and her lips were blue. Help was summoned, but the girl died later that morning.
Judge Carey said: “You knew there was a very real likelihood she had drunk your methadone script and there is an abundance of evidence to show just that.
“And you took a chance in the hope this would not come back on you with potentially appalling consequences for you and your family.”
King will serve half the sentence before being released on licence.