Sussex mother sentenced after drugging her ill son

A woman has been sentenced for administering a noxious substance to her 10-year-old son.
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Pembe Mehmetaliogullari, 48, of Lower Market Street, Hove, was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for 18 months, when she appeared at Brighton Crown Court on Thursday 28 July, having been convicted in May this year of administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy, to her son, Mustafa.

The jury had convicted her of administering an antidepressant called Citalopram, between September 1 and September 27, 2018, but had cleared her of attempted murder.

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The court heard that Mustafa, who lived with severe complex physical and mental disabilities, sadly died at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton on 30 September 2018, having been admitted for treatment three days earlier.

Police were informed and a post mortem and subsequent toxicology examination found the presence of non-prescribed medication in his system. The cause of death was un-ascertained and could not be attributed to the drugs found in his system.

Mustafa and his mother had been living at Eastview Terrace, Sedlescombe, East Sussex, prior to his admission to hospital.

After the case Detective Sergeant Barry Chandler from the East Sussex Safeguarding Unit said: “This is a tragic case and our thoughts remain with Mustafa’s family and friends at this difficult time.

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“I’d like to thank the members of the jury who carefully considered the evidence put before them and I’d also like to thank the witnesses and the our investigative team who worked so hard on this complex and distressing case.”