A 12-year-old boy had to be rushed to hospital after his drunken babysitter supplied him with whisky.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday that the youngster was discovered in a semi-conscious state and taken to A&E, where he had to be put on an intra-venous drip.

Patrick Glynn was already under the influence when he took the boy, who cannot be identified, into his care and gave him four glasses of whisky, which he estimated to be around a quarter bottle of the spirit.

Fiscal depute Melanie Ward said: "The child then went off with the bottle of whisky into the bathroom and consumed approximately a further quarter of the bottle.

"There were two stages, the actual giving and then the not supervising and ensuring the child was stopped drinking.

"The child began to vomit, fell into a state of semi-consciousness and was found by the accused's girlfriend, who telephoned an ambulance."

Ms Ward added that a witness saw the boy was incapable of lifting up his head.

She said: "Police were instructed to attend also and he was placed in the recovery position before being taken to the Sick Children's Hospital. He was treated at hospital with intravenous fluids and released the following day."

Glynn, 39, from Edinburgh’s Craigmount area, admitted wilfully and recklessly supplying the 12-year-old boy with whisky on November 28 last year, knowing that the consumption could be injurious to his health.

Defence agent Ian Tweedie said: "Glynn accepts he was under the influence and he continued to drink and he gave the child a certain quantity of alcohol and failed to supervise him thereafter.

"Had he not been so intoxicated himself he would have realised the bottle had been taken and would have put two and two together."

Mr Tweedie added that Glynn did not have experience of bringing children up which he believed contributed to the offence occurring.

Sheriff Isabella McColl ordered background reports and deferred sentence until October.