An Australian influencer was accused of poisoning a child for money

An Australian influencer has been accused of poisoning her baby girl to get donations and increase her online following.

A Queensland woman claimed she chronicled her child’s battle with the terminal illness on social media, but detectives say she drugged the one-year-old and then filmed her in “tremendous agony and pain”.

Doctors sounded the alarm in October, when the child was admitted to the hospital with a serious illness.

After several months of investigation, the 34-year-old woman was charged with torture, using poison, producing materials for child exploitation and fraud.

“(There are) no words for the heinous nature of crimes of this nature,” Queensland Police’s Paul Dalton told reporters on Thursday.

Between August and October, detectives say the woman – from the Sunshine Coast – gave the child several prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines without permission.

She went to great lengths to obtain the unauthorized medication and cover up her behavior, they allege, including using leftover medication for another person in their home.

Police launched an investigation on October 15 after the child was taken to hospital with “severe emotional and physical distress and injuries”. Tests for the illegal drugs came back positive later in January, they said.

The woman raised A$60,000 (£30,500; US$37,300) through GoFundMe donations, which the site is trying to recover, Inspector Dalton said.

Police were investigating other people over the alleged abuse, but there was no evidence to charge anyone else, he added.

The woman is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates’ Court on Friday.