Girl who took methamphetamine at four months and almost died is returned to her drug-addicted mother only to be sexually assaulted by a relative: “Almost died”

A girl who was born with drugs in her system and ingested methamphetamine at four months of age was allegedly sexually assaulted by a male relative shortly after being returned to the care of her drug-addicted mother.

The girl was taken to Lyell McEwin Hospital, north Adelaide, after she told a relative that a male relative had touched her in late June.

She had been returned to her mother’s care last October despite DCP being aware of the woman’s illicit drug use.

In the medical reports obtained by the advertiserthe doctor who treated the little girl wrote ‘she told me that the (family member) has (been) putting his fingers in her vagina’ and that she demonstrated the action to them and a family member.

The alleged sexual assault was reported to the police by a family member, however the investigation was dropped after only two days on the orders of the DCP.

No charges have been filed in connection with the alleged assault.

A detective who was initially investigating the case confirmed that it had been closed, telling the relative: “As far as SAPOL (South Australia Police) is concerned, at this stage the matter is closed.”

The detective said there would be no further forensic examinations following discussions with DCP and child protective services.

Another detective on the case said officers couldn’t even conduct interviews without first getting permission from the DCP.

The relative now claims the DCP has “failed” the girl, who was in the care of another family member for three years before she was returned to her mother without an explanation from the department.

They claim that the DCP “knew all along” the risks involved in returning the girl to her mother, who has a long history of using illicit drugs, including methamphetamine.

Documents related to the girl and obtained by The Advertiser show that the department knew the woman used the illicit drug up to three times a day, including while she was pregnant and in the weeks before her daughter was born.

The newborn tested positive for opioids at birth, but child protective services did not remove her from her parents’ care.

Just four months later, the girl was rushed to Lyell McEwin Hospital after she took methamphetamine and benzodiazepines on February 20, 2020.

She was then transferred to the intensive care unit at Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where she remained for several days.

“She almost died,” a relative told The Advertiser.

The little girl was returned to her mother’s care last October despite the fact that the Department of Child Protection (DCP) was aware of the woman’s use of illicit drugs.

The newborn tested positive for opioids when she was born, but child protective services did not remove her from her parents’ care (file image)

Police searched the boy’s home after the incident and found a large amount of drug paraphernalia, including cannabis, prescription drugs and “ice pipes.”

The documents reveal that the DCP was notified up to 16 times about the couple’s drug use between December 2010 and the incident in early 2020.

In lieu of the incident, both parents continued to test positive for illicit drugs, refused to be tested, and provided fake urine samples.

An SA police spokeswoman told The Advertiser that the joint investigation by police, DCP and Child Protective Services into the alleged sexual assault was launched in accordance with “established Child Protection investigation protocols”.

A government spokesman said the alleged sexual assault was “immediately investigated” and “all appropriate processes followed.”

“SAPOL, CPS and DCP worked collaboratively on a multi-agency evaluation of the case to determine that there was no evidence to support the allegations,” he said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the DCP for comment.