PARENTS SENTENCED OVER BABY'S NEGLECT DEATH
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.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.” The court heard that Phoebe had suffered severe brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, and she died after life support was withdrawn on 29 October 2019.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, along with traces of the drugs in her hair.
Toxicology reports indicated she had ingested the substances either by inhalation of smoke or dust, or through contact with drug-contaminated surfaces.
Douglas admitted during police interviews that he and Bourne smoked illegal drugs while the baby was at home.
The case was described by the judge as “involving two tragedies”—the infant’s death and the impact of drugs on the parents’ lives—highlighting that neither Bourne nor Douglas had given drugs directly to the baby.
