Mother who poisoned toddler sentenced

SAN DIEGO, March 10 (UPI) -- A California woman who admitted poisoning her toddler with drain cleaner in his apple juice was sentenced to 10 years in prison, court records indicate.

Christina Howell, 23, pleaded guilty to child abuse and poisoning in a Vista, Calif., courtroom, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday.

The child, who was 2 at the time of the 2008 poisoning, sustained severe injuries to his esophagus, stomach, tongue and small intestine, the newspaper said. Howell told investigators she spiked the juice with caustic chemicals to get attention from her then-boyfriend, whom she intended to marry.

Doctors who treated the child speculated Howell had pediatric condition falsification, known as "Munchausen by proxy" syndrome, in which caregivers report a child is ill or injure a child to get attention, court records show.

Howell's younger child also had a history of hospitalizations, the records indicated.

The poisoned child and the younger brother are living with a foster family, the Union-Tribune said.