A dad branded 'extremely stupid' gave his teenage daughter drugs in what a judge called 'a complete inversion of the parent-child relationship'. A court was told the 45-year-old believed the 15-year-old would be 'safer' taking them with him, rather than with her friends.
But the judge blasted a 'grossly serious, dangerous, and inappropriate thing to do' and called it 'a colossally stupid way to behave'. He's escaped jail after pleading guilty to child cruelty and possession of amphetamine.
Police were alerted after the girl's mother noticed her daughter had 'eyes like saucers' when she came home following access visits to her ex-husband's home in Farnworth, near Bolton, the town's crown court was told. Initially he denied any wrongdoing, but the girl told her teachers she was offered 'speed' or 'whizz' by him on multiple occasions over the course of a year.
He would tell her which cupboards he kept amphetamine in around the house so she could find it easily and even set up a coffee table in his living room so she could snort lines off it, the court heard. She also claimed her father had asked her to make cocaine and amphetamine cocktail 'bombs' which they could take together. He admitted giving her amphetamine, but denied supplying her with cocaine.
In a statement, the girl's mother said: ''I was totally devastated when I found out and I was worried I would lose my daughter as her father was pulling the wool over her eyes. I was worried sick about her and annoyed at myself for not stopping this sooner. I have no words to explain how I feel about him giving my daughter drugs other than I could not believe that it happened."
At Bolton Crown Court the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, after the girl's mother said whilst her ex's behaviour was 'extremely stupid', immediate imprisonment would have a 'significant impact' on their children. The court heard the events took place between March 2020 and April 2021 whilst the girl was living with her mother.
Prosecutor Peter Connick said: ''She came home after being out with friends and her mum thought she had taken some drugs as her eyes appeared to look like saucers. She was grounded and when she was allowed to go out again she came home in a similar state and she admitted to smoking cannabis and was grounded again.
''During that conversation, she said she had been taking drugs with friends but that her father had also been giving her drugs. The mother called the NSPCC for advice and spoke with her GP to ascertain her daughter's mental health.
''The girl said she was aware her father had always used drugs when she was growing up as he was using them around her. He would take drugs in the bathroom and she would overhear conversations he was having with his then girlfriend. The defendant would then come back into the living room spaced out and gurning.
''She said he started to bring drugs to her and offer amphetamine to her which she referred to as whizz. He knew she had been taking drugs with her friends and when she was at his house, he would take his own amphetamine and offer them to her as well. He usually had a gram bag with him and he would offer her a few 'keys'. When she was offered it, she took it because she felt it was normal for her.
''She said when she went to his house, he disclosed to her that he had drugs and that's when the drug sharing started. As well as directly offering his daughter amphetamine he set up the coffee table so she could help herself from where she knew the drugs were kept. She says she no longer wants to take drugs and no longer wants to visit him as she wants a good future.
''There was plainly a high likelihood that serious psychological developmental or emotional harm could have been done to her from the drug use given her age."
Defence counsel James Preece said: ''He regrets his behaviour. He did say a thought which did cross his mind was letting his daughter experience drugs at home rather than being out with her friends but he now accepts that plea was a totally inappropriate thing for him to have said.
''He now accepts if his daughter had been taking drugs outside the home he should have been supporting her away from that, rather than providing her with more drugs. He has now stopped taking them himself.''
Sentencing the dad, Judge Tom Gilbart told him: "What you did was a complete inversion of the parent-child relationship. You deliberately exposed your child to the dangers of controlled drugs and you did so on a number of occasions. It would only have taken a moment's thought to realise this was a grossly serious, dangerous, and inappropriate thing to do. It was a colossally stupid way to behave.
''You daughter would take those drugs and you would take them together. You would leave drugs in the house in places where she knew where they were so she could find them if she chose to take them. The girl's mother is worried about the impact of what you did upon your daughter but characterised this as a misguided attempt to help her taking the view it was safer for her to take drugs at home with you rather than take them on the streets
"Your former partner describes you as being extremely stupid rather than evil but says a custodial sentence will have a significant impact on the health and mental well-being of your children. She pleads with the court to take an approach short of immediate custody and goer that reason I am persuaded to suspend the sentence.''
The father was also ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work plus 32 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
