THE half-sister of a baby who died of a methadone overdose confessed to seeing him holding a bottle of the drug in his hands, a family friend told Winchester Crown Court.

Neighbour Tracey Beattie told police how Claire Gormley had made the confession to Jacksa Bowyer's parents, Jaquietta and Luke Bowyer, and their friends, six days after the tragedy on June 5 last year.

But the jury has heard the prosecution allege that Gormley only made the confession after she was coerced into saying it.

In a statement, Mrs Beattie said Jaquietta Bowyer, who is Gormley's mother, had summoned her to the living room of the house the family then shared in Berewyn Close, Buckskin, Basingstoke, to hear what Gormley had to say about events on the day before 22-month-old Jacksa was found dead by his parents at 2am.

In her witness statement, Mrs Beattie quoted Gormley as saying: "I brought a bottle of methadone down and I put it down and went back upstairs. I came down and Jacksa had the bottle of methadone in his hands. I don't know whether he drank anything at all. I watched to see if it made him drowsy."

Mrs Beattie's statement added that when she asked Gormley, now 19, why she hadn't said anything, Gormley replied that she was scared of her mum.

"Claire kept looking at Jaqui and then looking at me and saying she was too frightened," said Mrs Beattie.

"All of the conversation was with Luke and Jaqui sitting there, both saying they didn't know anything about this until after Claire told them."

Gormley, Jaquietta Bowyer, 39, and Luke Bowyer, 27, have all denied a joint charge of manslaughter.

They are accused of being responsible for Jacksa's death by neglecting to treat him after he had swallowed a lethal dose of methadone.

The court has heard that the Bowyers no longer live in Buckskin. Gormley has also moved and now lives at Buttermere Drive, Warndon, in Worcester.

Prosecutor Nigel Seed, QC, has said the jury will hear evidence from police bugging devices placed in the family home which record Jaquietta and a friend, Adrian "Ace" Clarke, rehearsing a story for Gormley to tell the prosecution.

Mr Seed alleged: "She was eventually reduced to tears and compliance."

Mr Seed added that another conversation was recorded, in which Gormley told her boyfriend, Nick Young: "Jaqui killed him by letting him have the methadone and they just want to blame me."

The court has also heard evidence from ex-drug dealer Pete Beraud, who said a woman calling herself "Luke's Jaqui" had telephoned him for advice on June 4.

Mr Beraud said: "She seemed quite panicked and concerned. She told me that her young child had just drunk a cup of methadone from the side. My first reaction was to tell her she should take it to the hospital and seek medical attention for it."

He added that both Bow-yers refused to take the child to hospital because they were worried social services might get involved, but that when Luke Bowyer called hours later, Mr Beraud told him the drug should be starting to leave the child's body.

The case continues.