A Birmingham man who gave a newborn baby prescription drugs has been jailed for attempted murder.
Jamar Bailey, from Augustin Grove, Winson Green, was sentenced to 25 and a half years in prison today at Birmingham Crown Court after the 21-year-old admitted the offence in June earlier this year.
The three-week-old baby girl had been taken into hospital on 27 June 2020 after becoming listless and unresponsive.
A urine test detected sodium valproate – 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 accidentally.
Officers found that Bailey was taking medication for seizures, and a search of the property found a prescription drug for Epilim Chrono – which contains sodium valproate – in his name.
He was arrested on suspicion of wilfully harming a child.
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’.
Fortunately, the baby survived her ordeal, although it won’t be known until she is older if there are any lasting effects. She has since been safeguarded and is said to be ‘thriving’ with her new family.
Detective Sergeant Kirsty Wilson, from the force’s public protection unit, said:
“The little girl is so lucky to be alive, and we are really pleased that she is doing so well.
“Bailey’s actions were premeditated and could quite easily have resulted in her death.
“Our investigation was complex and relied on medical evidence and the support of partner agencies, so we are satisfied that justice has been done.”
Bailey will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible to apply for parole.
Got a story, picture or video? Email our team: contact@emergency-services.news
CLICK HERE to check out our most popular videos and social media groups and to join our FREE newsletter.
Join our WhatsApp community!
ESN is now on WhatsApp, and we want you to join our 'read only' channel.
To join, you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is click the link and press 'Join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up, and no one can send messages except the ESN team.You won't get any 'SPAM' just news stories & videos written & produced by our team of former emergency services personnel.
Joining our WhatsApp channel is a great way to help support our work and best of all, it is free!
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.