Little girl who took meth and almost died aged four months returned to her drug-addicted mother only to be sexually abused by a relative: ‘She almost died’
The little girl was born with opiates in her system, took methamphetamine at four months old and was sexually assaulted by a family member in June.
A little girl who was born with drugs in her system and took methamphetamine at just four months old was accused of being sexually abused by a male relative shortly after she was returned to the care of her drug-addicted mother.
The child was taken to Lyell McEwin Hospital, north of Adelaide, after she told a family member she had been touched by a male relative in late June.
She was returned to her mother’s care last October despite the Department of Child Protection (DCP) being aware of the woman’s illicit drug use.
In the medical report obtained by The Advertiser, the doctor who treated the little girl wrote ‘she told me that (family members) inserted their fingers into her vagina’ and she demonstrated the act to them and a relative.
The alleged molestation was reported to the police by a family member, but the investigation was dropped after just two days on the orders of the DCP.
No charges have been filed in connection with the alleged assault.
A detective who was initially investigating the case confirmed it was closed, telling the relative: ‘As far as SAPOL’s (South Australian Police) is concerned, the matter is closed at this stage’.
The little girl was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide where she spent several days after ingesting methamphetamine in early 2020.
The detective said there would be no further forensic tests following discussions with the DCP and Child Protective Services.
Another detective in the case said that the officers cannot even conduct interviews without the DCP’s permission.
The relative has now claimed that the DCP has ‘failed’ the little girl, who was in the care of another family member for three years before she was returned to her mother with no explanation from the department.
They claim the DCP ‘knew all about the risks’ of returning the child to his mother, who has a long history of illicit drug use, including methamphetamine.
Documents related to the girl and obtained by the Advertiser show the department was aware the woman was using illegal drugs up to three times a day while she was pregnant and weeks before her daughter was born.
The newborn tested positive for opiates when he was born but was not removed from his parents’ care by Child Protective Services.
Just four months later, on February 20, 2020, the little girl was taken to Lyell McQueen Hospital after ingesting methamphetamine and benzodiazepines.
She was then transferred to the intensive care unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide where she remained for several days.
‘He almost died,’ a relative told the Advertiser.
The little girl was returned to her mother’s care last October despite the Department of Child Protection (DCP) being aware of the woman’s illicit drug use.
The newborn tested positive for opiates when he was born but was not removed from his parents’ care by Child Protective Services (stock image).
After the incident, police searched the child’s home and found a large amount of drug paraphernalia, including marijuana, prescription drugs and an ‘ice pipe’.
The documents reveal that the DCP was informed about the couple’s drug use 16 times between December 2010 and the incident in early 2020.
Instead of the incident, both parents continued to test positive for illegal drugs, refused to be tested and provided false urine samples.
An SA Police spokesperson told The Advertiser a joint investigation by the police, DCP and Child Protection Services was launched in line with ‘established child protection investigation protocol’.
An SA government spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the child’s reunion with his mother took place under a youth court investigation.
‘When these allegations came to light they were immediately investigated by clinicians within Women and Children’s Hospital (WCH) Child Protection Services (CPS), SAPOL and the Department of Child Protection (DCP).’
‘SAPOL, the CPS and the DCP worked collaboratively in a multi-agency assessment of the case to find that there was no evidence to support the allegations.
‘All appropriate procedures were followed.’
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