Australian influencer charged with torture after poisoning baby 'for clicks and cash'
16 January 2025, 23:18
An Australian influencer has been charged with torture for allegedly poisoning a one-year-old baby girl and filming her in ‘immense distress’ for followers and cash.
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The 34-year-old woman from Queensland is charged with giving an infant girl unauthorised medications and posting videos of her in ‘immense distress and pain’.
The woman, who has not been named, was charged with torture following an extensive investigation.
She allegedly ‘went to lengths to obtain unauthorised medicines, including old medicines’ to give to the one-year-old between August and October last year, Queensland Police said.
Police said the baby was ‘known to her’, but have not confirmed the child is her daughter.
Further investigations claim that the woman ‘carefully concealed her continued efforts to administer the unauthorised medicines’ until she was caught and reported to police.
Medical staff from a hospital in Brisbane first noticed the potential that the child was poisoned after she was admitted as a patient there.
Police further allege that the woman filmed the baby when she was in ‘immense distress and pain’, posting the videos online to exploit the child for monetary donations and online followers.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton told reporters that the woman allegedly received $60,000 (£30,500) in fraudulent donations via GoFundMe.
Mr Dalton said offences of this nature are abhorrent and CPIU detectives are committed to protecting children from harm and holding offenders to account.
“Working in CPIU we are too often faced with the worst offences against children,” he said.
“We will do everything in our power to remove that child from harm’s way and hold any offender to account.
“There is no excuse for harming a child, especially not a one-year-old infant who is reliant on others for care and survival.”
On Wednesday morning, Morningside Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) detectives travelled to an Underwood address to arrest the woman.
She was charged with five counts of administering poison with intent to harm, three counts of preparation to commit crimes with dangerous things, and one count each of torture, making child exploitation material and fraud.
The woman is expected to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday January 17.
