Desperate Portsmouth mum gave her daughter morphine – then accidentally revealed 5oz skunk cannabis stash to paramedics

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how the woman’s 12-year-old daughter, who cannot be named, was in agony with limb pain and paramedics were called to check on her at home in the city. They advised the mum, who The News is not naming, to either take her to a GP or they could take her to A&E at hospital. But instead the mother asked if she could give a dose of morphine to the youngster so she could sleep. Despite being warned not to do so she went on to give 2ml of the drug the next day. The mum, in her 30s, admitted this to paramedics who visited again when the girl was still in pain. Prosecutor Daniel Sawyer told the court how the woman told police, after she was arrested, that paramedics said she should not give the morphine ‘but if you do you should give below 3ml’. The paramedics deny this was said, Mr Sawyer added. Detailing how the cannabis was found, Mr Sawyer said: ‘In showing them the medication she had... she opened a drawer that simply contained cannabis.’ Police were alerted by medics and they later found 5oz of skunk cannabis, 1.5g for personal use and £1,100 in cash. A police drug expert ruled she was a ‘custodian’ for the drug after it had been dropped off by a man along with the cash. The woman, from Portsmouth, admitted possession with intent to supply the class B drug, possession and supplying a prescription-only medicine otherwise in accordance with a prescription. Recorder Richard Shepherd said: ‘This was a small amount of morphine with the best of intentions but in hindsight an utterly stupid thing to do.’ As the woman wept in the dock at the start of the hearing the judge said: ‘There’s no chance that I’m imposing an immediate custodial sentence today.’ Imposing a 12-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activities he added: ‘It’s clear from the paramedics that you were under the influence of legal medication that was prescribed to you for your own conditions. ‘That was having an effect on your reasoning and mental capacity.’ Throughout the hearing the woman, who has no previous convictions, sobbed as details of the 2017 case were given in court. ‘The girl was crying out in pain, albeit when they started speaking to her that stopped,’ the prosecutor said. ‘And she seemed to be distressed from the pain.’ He added: ‘[The mother] asked the ambulance crew whether she could give her daughter some of her own medication.’ Mr Sawyer said: ‘The ambulance crew told her no, absolutely not.’ The woman had denied the charge relating to morphine but later pleaded guilty. The girl was not harmed after being given the morphine, the court heard. Judge Shepherd told her: ‘I accept what’s been said on your behalf by your lawyers that your daughter was clearly in a lot of pain and you thought that you were doing the best for her, that you were caring for her, that you were treating her appropriately with appropriate pain-killing medication but as she continued to complain of being in pain you made the decision to administer a small amount of morphine that you have for your own conditions. ‘I accept that you did that with the very best of intentions - but it was stupid.’