Teenagers give LSD to girl aged 5

A five-year-old girl endured a terrifying drug ordeal after teenagers cruelly tricked her into taking an LSD tablet, it emerged today.

Nicola O'Connor swallowed the mind-bending psychedelic drug after being told it was a sweet.

Her mother Joanna O'Connor, 30, of Corby, Northants, said she found her on the doorstep "hysterical with fear".

She said: "It was terrifying because I didn't know what was wrong with her. She was just crying and bawling and not making any sense."

Nicola was fed the tablet shortly before 7pm last Thursday in Arran Way and did not return to normal until the following morning after she had been kept in Kettering General Hospital overnight.

Police and doctors were furious about her tormentors' stupidity.

A Northants Police spokesman said: "This was a totally irresponsible and stupid thing to do and those involved are fortunate the consequences for little Nicola were not far more serious consequences.

"This incident occurred in the early evening on a busy main route through the estate, which is used by members of the public, and we believe someone may have seen this group of youths drawing attention to themselves.

"We would ask parents to remind their children not to accept anything from strangers, in particular sweets, and if approached by someone they don't know, we would urge them to alert a known adult immediately."

Ahmed Mukhtar, medical director of paediatrics at Kettering General Hospital, said today: "This little girl is lucky to be alive.

"LSD is a very dangerous stimulant for children because even in small quantities it has a much greater effect.

"It increases body temperature and can lead to heart irregularities, which can be fatal."