A former Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital auxiliary nurse who deliberately and repeatedly poisoned a young child for several years has been jailed for seven years.
Tracy Menhinick, 52, gave the boy “industrial amounts” of the laxative lactulose, leading to his stunted growth and hospitalisation.
One expert witness previously told the High Court in Aberdeen that the victim resembled a survivor from a Nazi concentration camp as a result.
It’s understood that, although the boy has since recovered, he is now permanently disfigured.
The 19-day trial that led to the ex-NHS worker’s conviction heard 5,500 pages of evidence and medical records concerning the youngster’s failure to gain weight.
The child was aged between three and six at the time of his prolonged suffering.
‘Baffled’ doctors had to resuscitate helpless boy after ‘high level’ doses of laxatives
At one stage, the boy was admitted to hospital weighing just under 10kg at the age of five.
It was revealed during today’s sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow that a doctor’s report deemed that Menhinick did suffer from a factitious disorder imposed on another.
The disorder was previously named Munchausen’s syndrome and Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, which is a specific mental illness most often linked to child abuse by a caregiver.
Judge Lady Drummond told Menhinick: “You were an auxiliary nurse and had the knowledge to know what you were doing. You caused him to be in that state.
“When he was admitted to hospital, you continued to give him a high level of laxatives.
“Doctors were baffled despite their efforts to care for the child with various tests and treatments that he wasn’t gaining weight and thriving.
“The amount of laxatives he was given resulted in floppy episodes and he had to be resuscitated.
“Why anyone would want to inflict harm on a young child over multiple years is beyond understanding.
“The victim impact statement says he has been left with physical scarring from this ordeal – your actions have had a negative impact on him psychologically.
“It has had a devastating impact on his life. You abused the position of trust put on you by the child and the hospital.
“There is complete disregard for the consequences of your actions. You are 52 and deny responsibility for your actions.
“A doctor’s opinion is that you suffer from a mental disorder.
“You do not accept that you have this disorder and that your motivations are unclear for your actions.
“The doctor said you do not require hospital treatment for the mental disorder.
“The only appropriate disposal for such ill-treatment of a child over a lengthy period of time with serious consequences is a significant period in custody to mark society’s abhorrence of your conduct.”
Medical expert told trial Menhinick used ‘industrial amounts’ of laxatives to poison her victim
Wheelchair-bound first-time offender Menhinick was visibly upset following the judge’s remarks.
Her trial earlier had heard from emeritus professor in paediatric gastroenterology at Oxford University Dr Peter Sullivan.
He came to the conclusion that the boy must have received “industrial amounts” of lactulose.
The boy had been admitted to the hospital in October 2016 amid concerns for his weight loss and explosive diarrhoea.
At that time, Menhinick was closely observed by child protection officers, however, no evidence was found of Menhinick poisoning the child.
Dr Sullivan was asked if the medical staff at Royal Aberdeen’s Children’s Hospital had investigated all possible causes for the boy’s weight loss, to which he replied: “Yes, they did”.
Dr Sullivan added: “It was beyond reasonable doubt that he had been administered significant quantities of lactulose”.
He explained from reading the boy’s medical notes from hospital that he had been settled overnight, but once Menhinick had been to care for him, he would suffer from explosive diarrhoea within hours.
‘Transformational’ change in boy’s condition once Menhinick was removed from being his carer
Menhinick was removed from caring for the boy after a test result from Great Ormond Street Hospital confirmed lactulose was present in his stool sample.
Dr Sullivan said the boy’s condition “dramatically” improved once Menhinick was no longer allowed to care for the child and he concluded Munchausen by proxy, also known as Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII), was the reason.
The prosecution also said Menhinick had been able to “predict” when the child would have an episode and that she had pursued more invasive treatments, while a bottle of lactulose had been found after her house was searched.
Fiscal depute Paul Kearney said there was a “transformational” change in the boy after Menhinick was removed from being his carer.
He urged the jury to ignore the idea that a “phantom nurse” had administered lactulose to the child.
Great Ormond Street Hospital’s consultant gastroenterologist Dr Keith Findley also gave evidence and said he did not think the medical staff at Aberdeen had “thoroughly” investigated the child.
He told the court that the watery losses the child was experiencing were “catastrophic” and he was so thin that he was looking like “someone from Auschwitz”.
Frances Connor, defending Menhinick, told the sentencing hearing on Tuesday that her client is bed-bound except for visits to court and the hospital.
The advocate referenced the report from the doctor on Menhinick’s mental disorder and history.
She read: “Her actions could have been more likely due to the condition that she suffers from”.
The advocate further stated: “It is unlikely that she will care for any other individual in the future. She does not pose a risk to the public.
“She is a woman who suffers from complex needs.
“According to the doctor, she has long-standing mental health issues, which are contributing factors to her offending and her lack of insight into it.”
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