DRUGGED SON, 4, WAS LIKE 'ZOMBIE'

Mom on trial for giving boy high doses of 'street' Ritalin

Accused crack mom Joyce Hayman allegedly put her four-year-old son
into a "zombie" state, feeding him high doses of the prescription drug
Ritalin which she bought off the street, a judge was told yesterday.

Although she admits to giving her boy Ritalin after getting the idea
from TV, the then-drug addicted mom never fed him crack, said his dad
David Winn.

Prosecutor Paul Normandeau contends that Hayman force-fed the drug and
crack cocaine to her son, whom it's alleged had four times the
prescribed amount of Ritalin in his system when the Children's Aid
Society removed him on June 6, Hayman, 30, pleaded not guilty to two
counts each of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and
administering a noxious substance.

Winn, who occasionally lived with Hayman, testified that their child
was "hyper ... he was always running around." He said the boy fought
other kids, was "abusive" with Hayman and "hit a lot." He said Hayman
was addicted to crack, but would never "do her thing" until the child
was put to bed. Winn added that he never saw stray pieces of the drug
around.

Winn testified they saw doctors about the boy, but no physician would
prescribe Ritalin. He said she started giving it to him herself, about
four months before he was removed, with his blessing: "When he was on
Ritalin, he was a normal child."

In May 1996, the boy had a mild overdose while with a babysitter, and
though not hospitalized, he was referred to Sick Kids' hospital where
further tests were done. Court heard the CAS stepped in when high
levels of both crack and Ritalin were found.

In the time between the overdose and the child's removal, CAS worker
Kerry Milligan testified she met Hayman and the boy. Milligan said
Hayman "confirmed she had been buying (Ritalin) off the streets in
20-mg tablets" before the overdose.

"She felt (the boy) was hyperactive and she had watched a TV show that
addressed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and she decided
that was his problem," Milligan said.

"She felt strongly he needed the medication to control his
behavior."

After the overdose, a Sick Kids' doctor did prescribe Ritalin but only
in 5-mg tablets. During their May 30 meeting, Hayman admitted she'd
doubled up the dosage.

She said the child sat for 90 minutes without moving. The boy was
"just flat ... He was like a zombie."

"She said this is how he should be," Milligan said.

Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.

Checked-by: (trikydik)