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21st Oct 2021

Mum poured bleach into baby’s feeding tube to get a good night sleep, court hears

Laura Grainger

She told police she wanted a break.

A woman in Australia has plead guilty to endangering the life of her son after pouring bleach into his feeding tube.

A Perth court heard that Brooke Lucas, 26, committed the act against her 13-month-old son, William, in December 2018 because she was desperate for a good night’s sleep.

The baby boy had been in his cot crying when his mother went to get a bottle of Exit Mould and mixed it into his formula.

She then poured the mixture into the feeding tube of her son, who was born prematurely with a rare congenital birth defect called Pierre Robin sequence and requires constant care.

Prosecutors said Lucas sat and watched as the infant vomited and fit in seizures until she eventually called emergency services. According to 7News, she initially claimed William’s big sister had caused the poisoning.

The boy vomited another 10 to 12 times in the ambulance and was hospitalised for a further 17 nights before he was released.

Lucas handed herself in to police two weeks later, claiming she had just wanted a break and a good night’s sleep and thought the bleach would help the baby settle.

Though she was initially charged with attempted murder, the mum pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of endangering the life of her son.

She appeared in court on Wednesday, where she curled over and broke down crying as prosecutors read out what she had done to her baby.

The judge needed more time to consider the extent of the new details. Lucas will now be sentenced on Friday, October 22.

Little William is now in the care of his grandparents.