Father sentenced eight months for child neglect after young daughters consumed "weed candies’

A 26-year-old father was sentenced to eight months in jail on Monday after his two young daughters allegedly ate weed candies he left on the table at their home in Tin Shui Wai.

The court previously found the father guilty of two counts of child neglect and one of drug possession.

The court heard earlier that the two sisters, aged four and two, ate the weed candies stored in their father’s bedroom while the defendant was out with friends on June 25 last year.

The sisters were later found foaming at the mouth and were rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital. They were in serious condition and required intensive care. Their condition improved a few days later.

During mitigation, the defense presented a report confirming that the father does not have a drug addiction and, hence, should not be sentenced to an addiction treatment center.

The defense also called on a lenient sentence for the father, who had already been detained for over four months, noting that the two girls were now under the care of their mother, and the chances of the defendant reoffending were minimal.

However, the judge said the father’s offenses were more severe than a mere failure to provide a child’s basic needs.

He highlighted that the father had failed to secure the dangerous drugs at home, resulting in the damage inflicted on his daughters, which once sent them into intensive care.

Despite the defendant’s clean background, the judge, taking into account the gravity of the charges, decided to sentence the father to eight months imprisonment for child neglect and two weeks for drug possession, to be served concurrently.