Former nurse scarred child for life with ‘industrial amounts’ of laxatives, court hears
A former nurse who poisoned a child with “industrial amounts” of laxative leaving him scarred for life has been jailed for seven years.
Tracy Menhinick, 52, gave the boy the laxative lactulose, which resulted in his growth being stunted and led to his hospitalisation.
One expert witness said the child resembled a survivor from a concentration camp as a result.
It is understood the boy has since recovered but has been left with permanent disfigurements.
The 19-day trial heard 5,500 pages of evidence and medical records relating to the youngster and his failure to gain weight.
The child was aged between three and six at the time of the Munchausen by proxy poisoning – which is a specific mental illness most often linked to child abuse by a caregiver.
At one stage the boy was admitted to hospital weighing just under 10kg at the age of five.
It was revealed at Tuesday’s sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow that a doctor’s report deemed that Menhinick did suffer from a factitious disorder imposed on another.
The disorder was previously named Munchausen’s syndrome and Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy.
‘Devastating impact on boy’
Judge Lady Drummond said: “You were an auxiliary nurse and had the knowledge to know what you were doing. You caused him to be in that state. When he was admitted to hospital, you continued to give him a high level of laxatives.
“Doctors were baffled despite their efforts to care for the child with various tests and treatments that he wasn’t gaining weight and thriving.
“The amount of laxatives he was given resulted in floppy episodes and he had to be resuscitated. Why anyone would want to inflict harm on a young child over multiple years is beyond understanding.
“The victim impact statement says he has been left with physical scarring from this ordeal – your actions have had a negative impact on him psychologically. It has had a devastating impact on his life. You abused the position of trust put on you by the child and the hospital.”
The judge described a “complete disregard for the consequences of your actions”, adding: “The only appropriate disposal for such ill-treatment of a child over a lengthy period of time with serious consequences is a significant period in custody to mark society’s abhorrence of your conduct.”
Wheelchair-bound first offender Menhinick was visibly upset following the judge’s sentencing upon her.
The trial heard from an emeritus professor in paediatric gastroenterology at Oxford University Dr Peter Sullivan, who concluded the boy must have received “industrial amounts” of lactulose.
The boy had been admitted to hospital in October 2016 amid concerns for his weight loss and diarrhoea – and at that time Menhinick was closely observed by child protection officers.
No evidence was found of Menhinick poisoning the child at that time.
Boy suffered within hours of being under Menhinick’s care
Dr Sullivan was asked if the medical staff at Royal Aberdeen’s Children’s Hospital had investigated all possible causes for the boy’s weight loss, to which he replied: “Yes, they did.”
Dr Sullivan added: “It was beyond reasonable doubt that he had been administered significant quantities of lactulose.”
He explained from reading the boy’s medical notes from the hospital that he had been settled overnight, but once Menhinick had been to care for him, he would suffer from diarrhoea within hours.
Menhinick was removed from caring for the boy after a test result from Great Ormond Street Hospital confirmed lactulose was present in his stool sample.
Dr Sullivan said the boy’s condition “dramatically” improved once Menhinick was no longer allowed to care for the child and he concluded Munchausen by proxy, also known as Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII), was the reason.
The prosecution also said Menhinick had been able to “predict” when the child would have an episode and that she had pursued more invasive treatments, while a bottle of lactulose had been found after her house was searched.
Fiscal depute Paul Kearney said there was a “transformational” change in the boy after Menhinick was removed from being his carer.
He urged the jury to ignore the idea that a “phantom nurse” had administered lactulose to the child.
‘Catastrophic’ impact on child
Great Ormond Street Hospital’s consultant gastroenterologist Dr Keith Findley gave evidence and said he did not think the medical staff at Aberdeen had “thoroughly” investigated the child.
He told the court that the losses the child was experiencing were “catastrophic” and he was so thin that he was looking like “someone from Auschwitz”.
Frances Connor, defending, told the sentencing on Tuesday that her client is bedbound but for visits to court and hospital.
The advocate referenced the report from the doctor on Menhinick’s mental disorder and history.
She read: “Her actions could have been more likely due to the condition that she suffers from.”
The advocate stated: “It is unlikely that she will care for any other individual in the future. She does not pose a risk to the public. She is a woman who suffers from complex needs.
“According to the doctor, she has long-standing mental health issues which are contributing factors to her offending and her lack of insight into it.”
