Baby aged 10-weeks-old died being exposed to heroin and cocaine

A parent has been jailed aft exposing her babe girl to heroin and cocaine earlier her decease from a cardiac arrest.

Rachel Bourne, 34, was addicted to drugs successful 2019 erstwhile paramedics were called to the family’s location connected Meaford Drive, successful Blurton, Staffordshire.

Medics discovered 10-week-old babe Phoebe Douglas successful cardiac arrest. She was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital, wherever she died days later.

Baby Phoebe’s mum has present been jailed for 31 months aft admitting kid cruelty.

Prosecutor Chloe Ashley told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court that Phoebe had ingested heroin and cocaine anterior to her death.

She explained: ‘She (Phoebe) whitethorn person been exposed to fume from ace cocaine oregon heroin oregon whitethorn person travel into interaction with surfaces with cause pulverization oregon travel into interaction with idiosyncratic who had utilized oregon handled drugs.’

‘The beingness of cannabis’ was besides recovered successful babe Phoebe’s hair, which apt came from a sweat transportation from idiosyncratic who had been utilizing cannabis, Prosecutor Ashley said.

The tribunal heard Bourne, who present lives successful Yorkshire, spent £120-a-week connected drugs.

Phoebe’s father, 39-year-old John Douglas, besides present lives successful Yorkshire and volition beryllium sentenced connected Wednesday aft admitting the aforesaid offence.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Bourne had been remanded successful custody since November past year.

He said: ‘She has spent a twelvemonth escaped of drugs and escaped of addiction.’

‘She experimented with heroin and ace cocaine and an addiction took hold. Although she did not portion oregon usage drugs successful the beingness of her kid she was ignorant of the hazard of passive inhalation, aboveground contamination, and cross-contamination.

‘She accepts her addiction to drugs rendered her incapable of putting her child’s champion interests first. She is present escaped of drugs and she indispensable unrecorded with the consequences.’

Mr Cliff said aft the decease of her daughter, Bourne’s beingness descended into ‘absolute chaos’.

He added: ‘Her archetypal condemnation was successful 2021. At the clip of these convictions she had nary erstwhile convictions astatine all. She has to unrecorded with her regret indefinitely.’

Jailing Bourne, Judge Graeme Smith said: ‘The lawsuit is astir 2 tragedies – the decease of Phoebe astatine 10 weeks aged and the 2nd calamity is what happened to your beingness and what led to the vulnerability of her to heroin and cocaine.

‘Drugs ruin lives. It ruined your life. You person prioritised cause usage implicit attraction for yourself, your family, and your employment.

‘There is nary proposition you gave drugs to the kid but she was exposed done fume oregon aboveground contamination.’

In 2023, a 1 twelvemonth aged who was recovered dormant successful a Staten Island, New York home, was recovered to person died aft ingesting cocaine and fentanyl.

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