METHADONE BLAMED FOR BABY'S DEATH

One or both heroin-addicted parents of a 12-month-old boy had given the
child methadone to "quiet it down", but the dose was fatal, Glebe Coroner's
Court was told yesterday.

Detective Senior Constable Joe Doueihi, of Kings Cross police, was giving
evidence into the death of Anthony Van Thang Do at the child's great aunt's
Woolloomooloo town house on the morning of January 21 last year.

Senior Deputy State Coroner Mr John Abernethy was told the death was
initially treated as sudden infant death syndrome.

But Detective Doueihi said toxicology tests revealed the child had ingested
methadone. "I believe it may have been accidental, that one of the parents
may have given him methadone to quiet him down which resulted in the
accidental death of the child," he said.

But in a statement of police evidence tendered to Mr Abernethy, the inquest
was told that the father, Tuan Do, and his defacto wife, Phuong Dinh, both
24, had admitted in separate interviews to having $200 to $400-a-day heroin
habits, but denied using or giving methadone to their son.

Mr Abernethy was also told that Do is serving a sentence in Lithgow jail
for an offence not disclosed to the court, and had served prior jail
sentences for drug matters. When told that Do's estranged de facto Ms Dinh
was also wanted by police on a number of warrants and had failed to appear
to give evidence, Mr Abernethy said he would issue an order for her arrest
today if she failed to appear.

Forensic pharmacologist Dr Judith Bell said that 10 to 12 milligrams of
methadone was found in the baby's stomach and was likely to have been a
one-off dose. Dr Bell said the dosage ingested by the child would not only
be fatal but "it is inevitable unless there is medical intervention". The
inquest continues today.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson