Mansfield mother accused of murdering toddler had equivalent of "three lines of cocaine in her system"

Giving evidence in the eighth day of the trial, toxicologist David Berry told the jury at Nottingham Crown Court that Katie Crowder had 91.mg of the Class A drug in her system when a blood sample was taken at 10.31am on March 6 this year, following her arrest.

He said that, based on the reading, the 26-year-old would have had 290mg of cocaine in her system five hours earlier - the equivalent of “three large lines”.

Earlier in proceedings today, on Monday, November 30, family support worker Emma Wilkinson described how she had worked with Crowder, of Wharmby Avenue, Mansfield, between November 2019, and March 6 this year, when Gracie Crowder was pronounced dead and her mother was arrested.

She told the court that, from her observations, Crowder and Gracie had a loving relationship and participated in regular visits and support from Children’s Centre - formerly known as Sure Start.

But she also described Crowder struggling with cocaine addiction and battling with her mental health - having dark and intrusive thoughts and thinking about harming others.

She said she had been contacted by a specialist drugs worker from the Mansfield-based Change Grow Live organisation on January 10 this year to express her concerns.

“She was having dark thoughts about harming people, about self harm and she was watching programmes about serial killers,” Mrs Wilkinson said. “She had researched how to slit people’s throats.”

She added that she had booked a dental appointment for Gracie for March 5, but Crowder had told her to cancel it because the toddler was unwell, and it was re-booked for March 19, but the following day she was contacted and told Gracie was dead.

It is alleged that Crowder scalded her daughter to death and then waited for around an hour before raising the alarm, claiming she had “just found her like that”.

Crowder denies murder.

The trial continues.

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