Laura Docherty reportedly faces up to life in prison
NEED TO KNOW
- A Scottish woman reportedly attempted to kill a toddler by giving her prescription medication not meant for her
- The Times, the BBC and STV reported that Laura Docherty was convicted of attempted murder in December
- The girl suffered seizures as a result of the medication
A Scottish woman is set to be sentenced after she was convicted of trying to kill a toddler with prescription medication.
In December, Laura Docherty was found guilty of attempted murder in an Edinburgh court, according to The Times, the BBC and STV.
Per the outlets, the court heard that Docherty gave medication to the girl between April 2021 and February 2023, beginning when she was 2 years old.
The medication was not prescribed to the girl, the BBC reported, and caused her to suffer seizures.
“Her actions were utterly reckless and breathtakingly wicked," Judge Michael O’Grady said, according to The Times. "Time and again she deceived doctors and nurses and social workers and showed considerable guile.”
The paper reported that on March 18, O'Grady ordered a risk assessment report, which could potentially lead to Docherty receiving an order for lifelong restriction, which is essentially an indeterminate sentence in which authorities ultimately decide when a person is released.
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Docherty is now set to be sentenced in June, per The Times.
O'Grady said the only reason the girl survived was because of skilled doctors and paramedics, according to the paper, and asserted that Docherty did it “for nothing more than the drama of the moment and the attention you seem to seek at every turn."
“You must have understood the pain, the fear and the misery you inflicted on this child; indeed you saw and heard it with your own eyes and ears," O'Grady said, the paper reported.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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