Drug addict mother jailed for death of baby

A Whangarei mother under the influence of methamphetamine when she abandoned her baby to drown in bush was jailed today for 2-1/2 years.

Natasha Dawn Petersen, 31, took her 18-month-old daughter Cheyenne Petersen into dense bush on March 7 this year and left her there.

She then broke into a nearby house and was found the following day.

Petersen told police she was being chased through the bush by men carrying guns and had left her daughter in the bush believing she would be safe there.

She later led police into the bush and showed them where she had left her daughter.

Cheyenne wasn't there but was found after a short search lying face down in a pool of water. A post mortem examination revealed she had drowned.

In the High Court at Whangarei today Justice David Baragwanath said Petersen had been a loving mother whose drug addiction had lead to her daughter's death.

The court was told Petersen had been addicted to drugs since her teenage years but had stopped using them during her time on electronic bail.

The crown argued for a lengthy jail term to reflect the seriousness of the offending.

Petersen's lawyer Arthur Fairley asked for home detention combined with community work.

But Justice Baragwanath said he had to impose a jail term to send a clear message that people who offending while on P would not have a defence when they came to court.

The judge said the offence warranted a five-year starting point but reduced that to 2-1/2 years after taking account of her guilty plea and other factors.

- NZPA