Heroin addict Kelly Emery has been found guilty of the manslaughter of two-year-old Fenton Hogan

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A heroin addict has been jailed for six years for killing her two-year-old son by feeding him methadone.

Kelly Emery, 34, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Fenton Hogan but cleared of giving him the heroin substitute on two other occasions before his death in July 2013.

Emery, formerly of Frankley, Birmingham, was also given a concurrent 12-month prison sentence on Thursday after admitting gross neglect of Fenton by allowing him access to methadone.

She refused to give evidence during her trial at Nottingham crown court, insisting that she had never given her son methadone despite being negligent in leaving bottles of the drug “lying around” the house.

It was alleged that Emery wanted to “knock him out” with the drug so she could smoke crack cocaine.

Jurors were told that Fenton, who had no obvious injuries, was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital from her home.

In a statement, DI Bob Sutton, who led a West Midlands police investigation into the death, said: “Any child death is a tragedy. Fenton Hogan should have had the rest of his live to look forward to.

“Instead his short life was taken by the actions of his mother, who should have been there to safeguard and protect him.”

The officer said of Emery: “Her daily routine revolved around the consumption of drugs. This was to the detriment of those she had direct care for.

“Fenton’s extended family agrees that no sentence is sufficient or will help to heal what happened to Fenton. The impact of Kelly’s actions will remain with all of the family forever.”