Woman facing prison for salt attacks

A WOMAN convicted of poisoning an Edinburgh girl with overdoses of salt was today waiting to discover whether she will go to prison.

Susan Hamilton, 38, collapsed weeping in the dock yesterday when a jury found her guilty of poisoning the girl with concentrated salt solutions over several years.

The 38-year-old was able to administer a potentially deadly dose because the youngster was fed through a tube directly into her stomach.

Hamilton, of Broomhouse Street South, Edinburgh, was cleared of attempted murder during a trial lasting more than three weeks.

But the jury convicted her, by a majority verdict, of a reduced charge of assaulting the youngster - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - to her severe injury and danger of her life.

Sentencing of Hamilton was put off for three weeks while background reports on her are prepared for the court.

But one leading criminal lawyer said today it was unlikely that the 38-year-old would be sent straight to prison for her crime.

Martin Smith, of Bannantyne Kirkwood France, said: "While a custodial sentence is a possibility, there are certain circumstances in this case that make it unlikely.

"A lot will depend on what is contained in the reports that are presented to the court, but it may be that some kind of deferred sentence is seen to be appropriate.

"The sentence could be deferred for, say 12 months, on condition that she undergo medical treatment and while her behaviour is monitored."

An overdose of salt - perhaps a couple of teaspoonfuls - in March 2000 caused such brain damage that the youngster will never fully recover, the court was told.

The girl, now 11 years old, has a reading age of six and about the same level of ability when attempting tasks such as jigsaws.

During 15 days of medical evidence, legal argument and speeches, the trial heard how Hamilton was able to exploit the tragic girl’s existing health problems.

Advocate depute Johanna Johnston, prosecuting, told the jury of nine men and six women that Hamilton had made the youngster’s health much worse, and accused her of "fabricating an illness".

But, Ms Johnston said, it was not part of the prosecution’s job to prove a motive.

Since soon after her birth in 1991, the girl had muscle problems - thought then to be a wasting disease - which made it hard for her to swallow. At first she was fed through a tube passing through her nose, but by May 1995 surgeons had fitted a tube directly into her stomach.

Hamilton was accused of adding concentrated salt solutions on a number of occasions when she was looking after the girl between November 1995 and March 2000 - when the little girl was eight years old.

The jury saw records of a dozen times when the girl was treated in Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children for very high levels of sodium - a chemical component of salt - in her blood.

On at least five other occasions the sodium level was higher than normal, but could have been explained by other medical causes.

But tests run by suspicious doctors and the biochemistry lab at the Sick Kids’ hospital finally led them to the conclusion that the girl was being deliberately poisoned.

Police were called in and found a syringe containing drops of salty water in Hamilton’s kitchen.

Giving evidence, Hamilton claimed the syringe had not been there and denied the charge against her.

Yesterday, she sat trembling in the dock as the jurors returned to court after just over two hours.

When they gave their decision she shook her head in disbelief and began sobbing.

The verdict was also greeted with a cry of "Oh no" from Susan Hamilton’s sister, Kathleen Gallagher, 37, who had earlier told the High Court in Edinburgh: "I know in my heart she is innocent."

Lord Brodie told Hamilton, a first offender, he could not pass sentence without background reports and allowed her to remain on bail. She is due to return to court later this month.