SA: Man denies deliberately feeding children cannabis

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2004
SA: Man denies deliberately feeding children cannabis

ADELAIDE, April 13 AAP - A man today denied deliberately feeding two young girls spaghetti
with a cannabis laced sauce.

Anthony John Patten, 22, pleaded not guilty in the South Australian District Court
to two counts of administering cannabis to a child.

Patten was alleged to have administered the drug to two girls, aged two and four, in
September last year at a house in Adelaide's north.

He denied the charges in a brief hearing today and was remanded on bail to reappear
again next month.

An earlier Magistrates Court hearing was told the girls were hospitalised after allegedly
eating spaghetti with a sauce laced with marijuana.

Patten, who was caring for the two children of a friend, told police he served the
girls a lunch of spaghetti with a pasta sauce containing cannabis, police prosecutor Harry
Scherwitzel told the Elizabeth Magistrates Court last September.

Patten said he had simply forgotten what was in the sauce, the Magistrates Court was told.

AAP sl/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: PATTEN

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