Drug dealing Aberdeenshire mum jailed over death of baby son who died after ingesting mephedrone

A drug dealing mother whose baby son died after ingesting a narcotic at her home in Aberdeenshire has been jailed for seven years.

Amy Beck was convicted of exposing three-month-old Olly-James Sievewright to mephedrone, known as M-CAT, and MDMA, commonly called ecstasy.

The baby boy died on December 22 in 2019 as a result of ingesting M-CAT combined with the effects of a peritonitis infection the child was suffering.

A judge told Beck, 32, at the High Court in Edinburgh: “A custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal in your case.”

Judge Fiona Tait said that as a drug dealer and user, Beck had allowed drugs to be in close proximity to children.

The judge said it was apparent from a background report prepared on Beck ahead of sentencing that she minimised her role in the offending.

Beck was earlier found guilty of exposing the now deceased child to illicit substances between September 17 in 2019 and the date of his death at an address in Sandhaven, Aberdeenshire.

The offence under Children and Young Persons (Scotland) legislation stated “as a result of said ingestion of Mephedrone, combined with the effects of peritonitis, he died”.

Beck, of Fraserburgh, was also convicted of being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug mephedrone over a period of almost three years and further charges of exposing children to drugs.

Her earlier trial at the High Court in Aberdeen heard that her former home in Sandhaven was “polluted” by drugs.

Defence counsel David Moggach said it was never a part of the Crown case against Beck of a deliberate intention on her part to carry out ill treatment.

He said the first offender was assessed as posing a medium risk and added: “She is not without her own problems.”

Mr Moggach told the court: “It is an unusual case and a difficult case to deal with.”

After the baby died a post mortem was carried out and jurors heard evidence that mephedrone might have compromised the baby’s ability to deal with all the implications of contracting peritonitis.