TODDLER, 2, 'DIED FROM METHADONE DOSE'

Sydney - The two-year-old son of a former heroin addict died from a
"lethal amount of methadone in the blood", a coroners court heard yesterday.

Ewan McKinlay died on January 24 last year, Westmead Coroners Court
was told.

His parents, Ian McKinlay and Julie Cicolini, of Tahmoor, in Sydney's
south-west, wept throughout yesterday's hearing.

Police evidence presented to the court said a methadone bottle could
not have been mistaken for the child's medication as claimed by the
parents during police questioning.

Ms Cicolini had been a former heroin addict being treated with
methadone at the time of the incident, the court was told.

Police forensic pharmacologist Judith Pearl said the toddler would
have been constantly crying because of colic and a hernia which would
have been only marginally helped by the treatments being used.

Ms Pearl said the methadone would not have had the same calming affect
as it did on former addicted adults, who had a resistance to its toxic
side-effects unlike children.

"The level is certainly within the fatal range for an adult and more
than likely, no not more than likely, it would be absolutely fatal to
a child," Ms Pearl said.

The police report into the death said the toddler had been put to bed
at 10pm on January 23, before waking at 3am but not responding to his
parents at 9am the next day.

Ewan was taken to a doctor and then to Camden Hospital where he was
pronounced dead.

Investigating officer Detective-Sergeant Stephen Thomas, of Camden
Police, said it was initially treated as a likely Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome case, resulting in the scene being left unattended for a
short period of time.

Under cross-examination from Mr McKinlay's barrister Greg Jones,
Sergeant Thomas said no methadone was removed from the scene, with
photos taken of the infant's prescription medication.

Sergeant Thomas said after further investigation he concluded it was
unlikely Ms Cicolini's methadone could have been mistaken for the
toddler's medication.

"I do not believe that the methadone bottle could have been mistaken
for the pharmacy medicines given to the deceased," he said.

"The droppers to the pharmacy medicines do not fit or screw on to the
tops of the methadone bottles dispensed to Julie Cicolini."

But under cross-examination, he said Ms Cicolini's statement during
questioning that the methadone could have been given by accident had
been heavily qualified by her at the time.

The inquest is continuing.