CLARE ROSS FROM ST HELENS INVOLVED IN TRAGIC BABY DEATHS IN SWITZERLAND AND UK
In July 2022, a heartbreaking case unfolded involving Claire Ross, a woman originally from St Helens, who faced serious criminal charges following the death of her infant daughter in Switzerland.The tragic incident occurred after Ross, heavily intoxicated, fell asleep on the bed with her five-month-old baby, leading to the child's suffocation.
This event marked the second such tragedy in her life, as her first child had died in her bed in 2018 under similar circumstances.
Ross's history of alcohol abuse and reckless behavior has been well documented.
In July 2020, she was found to have consumed a significant amount of alcohol before going to bed with her baby.
Swiss prosecutors reported that she was so intoxicated that she passed out with her body pressing down on her infant, who was unable to breathe.
The eldest daughter, then six years old, was awakened by distress sounds from her baby sister.
Unable to rouse her mother, the young girl managed to free her sibling from the bed, placed her in a pram, and ran to seek help from a neighbor.
The neighbor, unable to wake Ross, called emergency services.
The baby was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was suffocation.
This incident prompted Swiss prosecutors to pursue charges of negligent homicide against Ross.
During the court proceedings in Nyon, it was revealed that even after the death of her second child, Ross continued to exhibit dangerous behavior, including a drink-driving incident in August 2020 while parked outside a medical appointment.
Prior to her time in Switzerland, Ross's troubled history included a serious incident in Liverpool in 2017.
She was convicted after being found driving on the M62 motorway with her toddler in the car, more than four times over the legal alcohol limit.
The vehicle had a tyre blowout, forcing her to stop on the hard shoulder.
Officers who arrived at the scene immediately detected a strong smell of alcohol, noted her bloodshot, glazed eyes, and observed her slurred speech.
Despite her denial of drinking, she claimed her three-year-old daughter was in the back seat, a claim later proven false when officers checked and found no one else in the vehicle.
Her husband, Ian Ross, had already arrived and taken the child away before the police left.
Claire Ross, then 39, was found to have vomited in a bag in the front of the vehicle.
She admitted to having consumed wine the night before but claimed her high breath alcohol reading was due to drinking vodka while waiting for breakdown services.
The Crown Prosecution Service disputed this, and Ross was sentenced to a 10-week prison term, suspended for 18 months, along with five days of rehabilitation activities through the Probation Service.
Outside court, Ross declined to comment on her reckless behavior.
Following her move to Prangins near Nyon in Switzerland, Ross continued to struggle with alcohol addiction.
Her first child in Switzerland died in 2018, with investigations initially unable to determine a clear cause, leaving open the possibility of natural causes such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Despite this, Ross and her husband welcomed another child in February 2020.
However, her ongoing alcohol issues persisted.
On a fateful morning in July 2020, Ross consumed a large amount of alcohol, and after putting her eldest daughter, then six, in front of the television, she went to bed with her five-month-old.
Swiss prosecutors reported that she was so intoxicated she passed out with her body on top of the baby, leading to her suffocation.
Her eldest daughter heard distress sounds from her sister, but was unable to wake her mother.
The young girl managed to free her sister and seek help from a neighbor, who called emergency services.
The baby was taken to hospital but was declared dead shortly after arrival.
The autopsy confirmed suffocation as the cause of death.
Subsequently, prosecutors in Switzerland charged Ross with negligent homicide.
During the trial at the district court in Nyon, it was revealed that Ross had been caught drink-driving again in August 2020, while parked outside a medical appointment.
The court heard that the second baby's death closely resembled the first, with the same tragic circumstances.
Ross's situation remains complicated, as she has become a mother for a fourth time, though her child has been removed from her care and she currently has supervised visits.
The eldest daughter has been returned to the family.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict and any sentencing on Tuesday.
