A DRUG addict mother has admitted responsibility in the death of her two-year-old son who died after taking a drugs overdose.
Samaya Rafiq, also known as Lorraine Dunbar, pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to the death of Harris Dunbar last July.
She also admitted four charges of child cruelty by causing or allowing him to ingest drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methadone and a sedative. Prosecutor Andrew Robertson, QC, told the court that Rafiq, 28, had admitted killing her own child unlawfully, against a background of neglect covering a period of months.
Rafiq had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges and was expected to stand trial yesterday before her plea change.
Young Harris had taken the lethal dose of drugs while he was staying at a hostel with his mother in Bradford last year.
Police said that while there was no suggestion Rafiq had deliberately given her son the drugs, but her “chaotic lifestyle” played a major part in the tragedy.
Detective Superintendent Tim Forber, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “Harris Dunbar was a two-year-old boy who deserved to be brought up in a safe environment.
“His mother, Samaya Rafiq, led a chaotic lifestyle due to her addiction to illegal drugs. However, she has admitted responsibility for causing the death of her child against a background of wilful neglect.”
She will be sentenced at a later date.
