FEARS FOR BOY (2) STABBED BY HEROIN NEEDLE

A two-year-old boy who accidentally stabbed himself with a used heroin
needle he found in the garden faces a three-month wait to find out if
he is HIV positive.

Callum Woodland found the needle in the garden while playing with his
dog at his home in Chichester.

Drug addicts had thrown their used needles over the
fence.

Since the youngster was taken to St Richard's Hospital, his parents
have found even more needles in the garden of their home in St James'
Square, which backs on to Chichester cemetery in Church Road.

His mum Derry (26) will have to wait until April to see if he has been
infected.

"It is lucky he is two years old and doesn't know what's going on,"
she said.

"If the test comes back positive, he faces a death
sentence."

She has been asking housing association HydeMartlet for two years for
a higher fence to protect her back garden.

It is now planned to be put up today.

Miss Woodland said: "Callum went to play in the garden with the dog -
the next thing I knew he was screaming. He came inside and had the
needle sticking out of his thumb."

Callum has had blood tests every three days, and as a precaution is
undergoing a course of treatment for hepatitis.

Miss Woodland added: "When he had the drug screening test, he had
traces of heroin in him. They let us come home only eight hours later.
He was bouncing off the walls, then he just passed out and went to
sleep.

"It is absolutely horrible. I lay there at night stroking his head. I
do not know what is happening to him. It is heartbreaking.

"Now we have got to play the waiting game. Most days I just
cry.

"Who is going to be next? How many kids have to get hurt for it to be
sorted out?

Callum's dad David McDonald (30) said: "It is something you read about
in the paper and never think it will happen to you.

"If it was an MP's son who got pricked by a needle, they would have
put a fence up by now.

"I am waiting for someone to tell us it was our fault."

The police said more attention would be paid to area with
high-visibility patrols.

Officers are due to meet Chichester District Council next week, where
a solution to the problem will be sought.

A member of the council's cleansing team visited the family and
collected the needle on Saturday.

A council spokesman said: "If discarded needles are found, people
should contact the council's cleansing team or their local community
warden, who are specially trained to remove and discard used needles.

"The cleansing team can be contacted on 01243 534603 during normal
office hours.

"Alternatively, if a needle is found during the weekend, they should
call the out-of-hours service on 01243 785339, and the matter will be
dealt with."

Claire Adam of HydeMartlet said: "We are clearly concerned to hear of
the experiences suffered by residents at St James Square.

"The boundary fence is old and we are replacing it with a new,
20-metre-length, 6ft-high fence as part of a planned maintenance programme.

"The programme to replace fences which have come to the end of their
lives is a substantial job which has taken longer than is ideal. We
are, however, working to ensure it is completed as quickly as possible.

"We recognise the fence is not the root cause of the problem - anyone
with the intention of throwing something over a fence will do it
whether it is 6ft or 8ft, so we will work closely with the police and
Chichester District Council to ensure the culprits are caught, and
that we do everything possible to deter this unacceptable form of
anti-social behaviour.

"Over the past couple of years we have built up a very good
relationship with the community at St James and we want our residents
to live without the fear of others' reckless behaviour."