A father-of-two tried to keep his young children out of his meth lab by hanging a sign on the door reading ‘poison, keep out, danger, death is consequence’ – before police found toys inside the clandestine operation.
The 23-year-old man pleaded guilty to three counts of exposing others in the manufacturing of meth in Bundaberg District Court in Queensland on Tuesday, and faces a maximum penalty of nine years in prison.
The man and his girlfriend have already been sentenced to nine months in prison with immediate parole for operating the lab, the NewsMail reported.
A father-of-two tried to keep his young children out of his at-home meth lab by hanging a sign on the door reading ‘poison, keep out, danger, death is consequence’ (digitally reconstructed image)
Police found the drug lab after searching the man’s home on April 13, 2016.
Officers found gas burners and chemicals consistent with making meth – alongside an array of children’s toys and clothes.
In court, the Crown prosecutor said police could feel their tongues and lips begin to tingle when they entered the lab.
The man is the biological father of two of the three children – aged one, three and five – who were living at the home.
All three children tested positive to meth and pseudoephedrine exposure – with a one-year-old baby having the most severe levels.
The father’s lawyer argued his client was ‘distressed to the point of tears’ when he learned the children had been exposed to meth.
‘It’s a mistake made in the course of producing drugs … rather than having direct contact to a drug lab that was unsupervised,’ the lawyer said.
All three children tested positive to meth and pseudoephedrine exposure – with a one-year-old baby having the most severe levels (stock image)
Judge Jennifer Rosengren said the 23-year-old man’s actions were ‘extremely naive’.
‘There’s signs on the door that no one can read, the oldest if five years of age, and that’s the extent to which the care has been taken,’ she said.
The man was sentenced to six months in prison for each charge, to be served concurrently, and was released on a $500 good behavior bond.