A WOMAN accused of repeatedly branding a three-year-old boy with a lighter told a court she believes the man who lured her into heroin addiction could be responsible.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in the same house as Tracey Parker and her former boyfriend Danny Dempsey on the night he was burned 12 times all over this body with the heated top of a disposable cigarette lighter.

Miss Parker, 23, of Otterbourne Road, Chingford, denies child cruelty and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, claiming she was “gouged out” (passed out) from smoking £20 of the drug on the night of January 5 last year.

A recovering heroin addict, she told Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday (Monday) that she was doing well on a recovery programme but that night her boyfriend, Robin Young, had not delivered her prescribed heroin substitute, Subutex, as planned.

In a “weakened” state of flu-like withdrawal she turned to her former lover, Mr Dempsey, and accepted his offer to smoke heroin.

She told the court how Mr Dempsey had introduced her to the drug when she was 19 and he was 38.

“He took out some foil in my living room, he asked if he could smoke it and I said yes. He said it’s not that bad, I can still get up and do things. He asked if I wanted some and I said yes.”

She cried as she told the court she had smoked heroin supplied by Mr Dempsey every day for 18 months.

She claims that after months of recovery, she had no idea the drug would affect her so strongly, and told the court she knew nothing of the abuse until she woke up alone in the house a few hours before dawn, and noticed marks on the boy.

Counsel for the defence, Nerida Harford-Bell, asked: “Did you hurt him?"

Miss Parker replied: “I would never hurt him, I would rather die.”

Miss Parker, who has no previous convictions, said she did not know who had tortured the boy but said that Mr Dempsey made him cry when he was near him.

A month later, in the second of two statements she gave police she also implicated Mr Young, suggesting he could have entered the house through the open living room window.

But Michael Shaw for the Crown Prosecution Service did not accept that she had passed out from smoking heroin, saying she could have visited Mr Young’s house in ten minutes to pick up her prescribed drugs, or called him if she was desperate.

He also questioned why it took 12 hours to call an ambulance for the child and she only did so after her visiting her mother, who called the police.

“What I suggest Miss Parker is that you have come up with a tissue of lies to deflect suspicion from yourself onto anyone else.

“You would have the jury believe it must be Danny Dempsey but there is not a shred of evidence to suggest that.”

He said a neighbour had heard loud music being played after Miss Parker claims she had passed out.

Mr Shaw said it was her who had up the stereo to full volume to cover the sound of her torturing the child.

He added: “You have changed your story at every turn. You’re lying. It’s why you didn’t call the ambulance that morning, it’s why you claim you didn’t hear the music.”

Miss Parker was in tears during the intense questioning but vehemently denied the charges.

The trial continues.