Mum Weeps As She's Jailed For Years After Deliberately Poisoning Months Old Baby With Salt

Mum-of-two broke down in tears as she was jailed for four years - for poisoning her 18-month-old baby with salt.

The 29-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, deliberately poisoned her daughter.

A court heard the sodium poisoning came just the day after the mother had searched the internet to find out how much salt is appropriate for a young child.

She even sent numerous photographs of her daughter's "rapidly deteriorating state" to family and friends but failed to seek medical help.


Sentencing the mother-of-two at Truro Crown Court on Friday, Judge Simon Carr said it was "inexplicable" as to why the mother had done what she had.

Fortunately the child survived and has made a full recovery, the court heard.

The judge said: "You were convicted by a jury of the extremely grave offence of administering a poisonous or noxious substance, in this case salt, so as to endanger life.

"Overwhelming evidence on that day shows that you gave her a significant amount of salt.

"Sodium levels, at levels simply not seen in a child that survives.

"What makes all of this so inexplicable is that everything else I have heard about you shows you as a caring mother.

"You still deny what you did to this day. It is little short of a miracle that [the child] lived.

"An aggravating factor is that, not long before, you had searched for salt levels in children.

"And, having administered the salt, you did not seek medical treatment."

The child has now made a full recovery after the incident in April 2017, during which she was fed the vast quantities of sodium chloride in the form of "a drink or runny food".