Baby swallowed £5 wrap of heroin

A baby girl's life was put in grave danger when she swallowed a £5 wrap of heroin during a visit to an addict's home, a court heard. The man who took her to the house has been jailed for two years for failing to take care of the child.

John Rollinson took the 10-month-old girl with him on a visit to a drug addict friend and she picked up the controlled drug which was wrapped in cigarette paper. "You were in an environment where you should have known the likelihood of dangerous drugs being around," Recorder William Davis QC told Rollinson, aged 38.

"You did not take care of this child.

"She did as all 10-month old children do and she picked up something that looked interesting and she put it into her mouth."

It was only when the child became seriously unwell that Rollinson revealed what had happened, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

The baby was rushed to Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, when her mother spotted she had become unresponsive and her lips had turned blue. After immediate treatment from doctors she made a full recovery, said Mr Shane Crawford prosecuting.

He said Rollinson, who had been jailed in the past for supplying heroin, was in charge of the baby for the day and he met the friend he knew was a drug addict.

The baby was allowed to move around in the friend's home and she was seen to put something into her mouth and Rollinson was told it could have been the £5 wrap of heroin.

Rollinson then washed out the baby's mouth with salt water which was dangerous but when he returned the child to her mother she noticed all was not well.

Rollinson of Bankwell Street, Brierley Hill, Dudley admitted cruelty to a child and he was told by the Recorder, "It is quite plain you regret very deeply what you did."

Miss Wendy Miller defending said Rollinson accepted he had put the child's life at risk and added, "His actions amounted to an extremely grave error in judgement."