Baby died while sharing a bed in temporary housing

A five-month-old baby who was not provided with a cot in temporary housing died in bed with her parents, an inquest heard.

Hailey Thompson was found unresponsive by her father on 2 April at Seatrade House in Colchester.

Michelle Brown, area coroner for Essex, said she could not rule out Hailey's death being caused by her parents rolling over.

Stating no cause of death could be determined after a post-mortem examination, Ms Brown ruled: "The only conclusion I can return is one of open."

A Colchester Borough Homes spokesman said cots were available on request in its temporary accommodation, but Hailey's case was being reviewed "with the utmost care".

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this unimaginably difficult time," he added.

Hailey was joined in bed by her parents - who were aged 23 and 22 at the time - at about midnight on 2 April, Essex coroner's court heard.

"We're told her dad woke at about 06:00 BST and found her unresponsive between them," Ms Brown said.

Hailey's father called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital, where she later died.

Her parents were arrested on suspicion of causing or allowing the death of a child at the time but the investigation was dropped by Essex Police.

Ms Brown said the family were living in temporary accommodation that only had one bed available, with no cot for the infant.

However, she stressed there was no evidence to show the sleeping arrangement directly contributed to her death.

"It's not unusual that when... sleeping with a child, deaths like this sometimes do occur but there is no evidence of suffocation or asphyxiation," the coroner added.

The court was told the parents had alcohol in their systems when arrested by the police, but "they were not significantly under the influence".

Concluding the hearing, Ms Brown said there was "no identifiable evidence of a specific natural disease process", meaning a definitive cause of the infant's death could not be found.

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