Methadone rubbed into baby's gums court is told

Grant Yuill denies supplying methadone to a baby and child cruelty

A court has heard the father of a baby girl rubbed methadone into the child's gums just hours after she was born.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard Grant Yuill, 38, of Porthmadog, told his partner it was the only way to conceal the fact she was taking methadone.

The prosecution said the baby was born addicted to methadone and is lucky to have survived.

Mr Yuill denies eight charges, including child cruelty and supplying drugs. The trial continues.

The court heard Mr Yuill is alleged to have rubbed the drug into his daughter's mouth in hospital within hours of the birth.

Methadone was also added to the baby's milk, the prosecution alleged.

Outlining the case prosecutor, Karl Scholz, said the baby was born addicted to methadone.

"This case will undoubtedly engender feelings of emotion. Try as far as possible to view this case dispassionately," he told the jury.

Mr Scholz said the fact the mother took methadone during the pregnancy was concealed from doctors.

After the baby was born her parents continued to administer the drug, increasing the amount given, he said.

The barrister said the matter came to light when the baby was nearly seven months old.

"She is lucky to have survived," he added.

In February last year the child's mother, Nia Wyn Jones, was jailed for three years for supplying methadone and child cruelty.

Suspicious

Mr Scholz said Jones, 31, had the "misfortune" to meet Mr Yuill in 2006.

She used to take cannabis and dabbled with ecstasy.

Jones told the jury she became addicted to heroin after Mr Yuill pretended it was "hash oil".

In 2009 she discovered she was four months pregnant and Mr Yuill is alleged to have told her she could do nothing but continue taking methadone.

The child was born in June 2009 and subsequently re-admitted to hospital.

It was on the third occasion that nursing staff became suspicious and police were alerted.

"The child had a high level of methadone in her blood," council said.

In evidence Nia Wyn Jones said she had been too scared to leave Mr Yuill.

She also felt unable to talk to the midwife, the court heard.

"I was scared because Grant said if I went for help they would charge him for giving me the methadone and I would lose custody of my kids."

After giving birth she told Mr Yuill that she was worried because the baby was "burning up."

Jones said: "He gave me methadone in a bottle. He got his finger in it twice and rubbed it on the baby's gum saying if she gets sick to rub it on the gum."

When the baby went home, this method continued and methadone was mixed in her milk.

The trial heard the couple had also tried to squirt methadone in the mouth using a syringe. The dose increased.

Jones said methadone was given to the baby in hospital.

She would wait at a Caernarfon bus stop for a blue teddy bear which Mr Yuill used to send on a bus from Porthmadog.

It would have a bottle of methadone zipped in the mouth.

Mr Yuill denies two counts of supplying methadone to the baby and four offences of supplying heroin and methadone to Jones.

He also denies child cruelty and putting Jones in fear of violence.

The trial continues.