Parents sentenced over baby's neglect death

The parents of a baby who died after exposure to heroin and cocaine have been sentenced.

Phoebe Douglas died in October 2019, after being found “pale and floppy”, with paramedics describing seeing “frothy blood” coming from her nose and mouth as she was being taken to hospital.

Rachel Bourne, 34, who lived in Stoke-on-Trent at the time of Phoebe's death and now lives in Yorkshire, was jailed for 31 months after admitting child cruelty.

John Douglas, 39, who now also lives in Yorkshire, was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to the same offence.

In a victim impact statement, Phoebe's grandmother said: “There is a constant pain in my heart when I think of Phoebe that will be there for the rest of my life.”

Bourne and Douglas had an on-off relationship, the court heard, and Douglas was elsewhere when the baby collapsed on 25 October 2019.

When paramedics arrived at 05:45 GMT, the baby was in cardiac arrest and taken to the Royal Stoke Hospital.

The court heard how, after the baby was taken to hospital, Douglas was in a state of distress, and asked medics if they believed in miracles.

Phoebe had suffered severe brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, and she died after life support was withdrawn on 29 October 2019.

Urine tests later identified cocaine and heroin in the baby’s system, and traces of the drugs in her hair.

Toxicology reports indicated she had ingested the substances either by inhalation of smoke or dust, or by coming into contact with surfaces where the drugs were present.

The court heard Douglas had admitted during police interviews that he and Bourne smoked illegal drugs while the baby was in the house.

Defence counsel Zahir Afzal said Douglas had served in the army for three-and-a-half years, and had PTSD.

He had been unemployed since 2012, he said.

His mental health had deteriorated significantly since Phoebe’s death, and he had been diagnosed as having a recurrent depressive disorder as well as schizophrenia.

He has since received medication and counselling, Mr Afzal said.

He said his client accepted his failure to care for the baby, and that he had admitted using drugs in her presence.

Sentencing, judge Graeme Smith said the case “involved two tragedies”, the first being the death of the infant and the other being the impact of drugs on the parents’ lives.

“It’s sad enough to see drugs ruin the life of an adult,” he said, adding that it was “heartbreaking” to see that their actions had resulted in Phoebe’s death.

He said there was no suggestion either Bourne or Douglas had given drugs to the baby.

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