Prosecution of mother of toddler who died after ingesting methadone 'merciless'

The prosecution told the court: “This is a case where a young child is living in a house where methadone is kept and consumed"

Defence counsel told the jury that Sadie Douglas (pictured) voluntarily told paramedics in the ambulance that her partner was on methadone. File picture: Collins Courts

Defence counsel for a woman, whose two-year-old daughter died after ingesting methadone, has told a jury that her prosecution for child neglect is “merciless”.

Two-year-old Heidi Douglas died in April 2016, three days after she had been admitted to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. A post-mortem report concluded she had suffered acute brain inflammation, “most likely” caused by having ingested methadone, resulting in her death.