A MOTHER WHO, WHILE DRUNK, GAVE HER FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON ALCOHOL HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO JAIL.
Kylie Eastwood, 36, was sentenced this morning at Latrobe Valley County Court for her actions on July 20, 2008.
Judge Margaret Rizkalla expressed dissatisfaction with Eastwood’s sobriety over the last few years, noting that two relapses did not amount to exceptional circumstances, thereby necessitating an immediate custodial sentence.
Eastwood will serve eight months for administering at least four shots of home-brewed Grappa to her son, in addition to four months for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
According to Judge Rizkalla, Eastwood must serve a minimum of five months before she can apply for parole.
During the proceedings yesterday, it was revealed that Eastwood was encouraging her son as he ingested the shots in her kitchen.
The boy’s father, referred to as “Steve,” testified that Eastwood told their son to put the blame on him when she saw him call for an ambulance.
Steve, speaking in the Latrobe Valley County Court, recounted how he heard his former partner cheering in the kitchen while his son drank the alcoholic shots.
On July 20, 2008, Eastwood returned from a friend’s house with a substantial bottle of homemade Grappa, which was later tested and found to contain 44 percent ethanol. After discovering his son drinking it, he took possession of the bottle.
“As I entered the kitchen, I caught sight of my son with a shot glass at his lips,” he stated.
He mentioned relocating the bottle to the lounge, but soon he heard Eastwood cheering again and found his son consuming more shots. The five-year-old had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.09 after being taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Police estimate that he ingested between four to six units of the homemade alcohol.
Yesterday, Eastwood pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her attorney, John Verhoeven, contended that she had no intent to harm her son by allowing him to consume some Grappa.
Nonetheless, Judge Margaret Rizkalla remarked that Eastwood was well aware of the effects of alcohol and the consequences it could have on her child.
“It is evident that she had substantial issues with alcohol,” Judge Rizkalla noted.
“She understood how alcohol affected both herself and others, recognizing that children are particularly vulnerable.”
During a tape recording of Eastwood’s initial police interview in January 2009, she conveyed to investigators that her son “enjoyed a drink.”
“He likes his alcohol and asked me for a drink, so I said, ‘Well OK, just one’,” Eastwood recounted.
At that moment, she claimed she did not comprehend the gravity of the situation, adding, “But I assure you, the next morning I did.”
