NEIGHBOURS of toddler Jayden Green's parents have told how the couple sold stolen property on their doorstep to fund their drug habit.
During their trial a jury heard that both Jamie Green and Sonia Britton were addicted to crack cocaine and heroin – the methadone that killed Jayden was a heroin substitute.
Many of the couple's neighbours in busy Bell Hill Road, St George, were unwilling to talk about the family. But some said that they had been approached by them and offered goods for cash.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "They would come round trying to sell us things – nappies, suntan lotion, even a tortoise."
The resident remembered hearing screams when Jayden was found.
He said: "I'm shocked by what happened but it wasn't a surprise – it's the drugs, isn't it?"
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Crisp, who was in charge of the investigation, said the case showed how dangerous hard drugs and their substitutes were in a family environment.
He said: "We want to make clear that parents cannot administer methadone to their children like Calpol.
"Last summer, a young boy, aged just 23 months, died from a methadone overdose.
"Forensic testing showed he was exposed to methadone over a prolonged period of his short life.
"During the trial evidence was heard about the unlawful administration of methadone to a child. This shows the dangers of abusing methadone – particularly with children.
"Achieving this conviction is the result of a joint investigation by the police, our criminal justice partners, the witness care unit and those people who have given evidence in the case.
"In working together we have collectively shown that these parents' actions were serious."
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