Court told how Luton baby who lost 17% of his body weight died from neglect

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A BABY boy who lost 17 per cent of his body weight in just a few days, died from neglect, a court was told.

The seven-month-old didn’t get enough fluid and food and yet his mother and grandmother did nothing as his weight dropped, it was claimed.

Luton Crown Court was told it would have been obvious to the pair the child was not growing, but losing weight.

Even so, it’s claimed they failed to seek medical help for the baby, or alert health professionals that he was failing to thrive.

The baby named in court only as “Baby Imran” was found by its mum lifeless and cold and with his eyes open on a bed at the home in Luton on January 17, 2014.

On trial are the baby’s mother, Jessica Price, 23, and her mother Angela Price, 62, both of Morris Close, Luton, who plead not guilty to cruelty to a person under 16 by failing to provide the baby with adequate food and drink.

They plead not guilty to a second charge of cruelty to a child by failing to obtain medical aid for the infant when he failed to thrive.

Both deny causing or allowing the death of Baby Imran and Angela Price alone denies a charge of causing or allowing a child to suffer severe physical harm.

At the start of the trial the court was told Jessica Price had pleaded guilty of cruelty to a person under-16 by failing to seek medical assistance for the severe nappy rash her son was suffering from in the weeks leading up to his death.

Outlining the prosecution’s case against the child’s mother and grandmother, Christopher Donnellan QC said Baby Imran had been born 10-weeks premature in June of 2013 and weighed 1.5 kilos or a little over three pounds.

The first weeks of his life were spent in the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, but eventually on August 6 2013 he was allowed home weighing 2.82 kilos.

Mr Donnellan said back at Morris Close, Baby Imran lived with his mother Jessica Price and his grandmother Angela Price.

The baby’s father didn’t live with them and lived a “separate life” said the prosecutor.

The jury was told conditions at the house were cramped.

On August 15 mother and baby, who was being bottle fed, received their first visit by a health visitor and there were no concerns for his health.

By early September his weight had increased to 3.21 kilos and by September 24 his weight was 3.76 kilos.

Mr Donnellan said there were concerns about the cramped conditions in the home.

The smell of cigarette smoke was noted and on one occasion a nurse on a visit to the home noticed Baby Imran was asleep with his face down in a Moses basket but still wearing his outdoor clothes.

Jessica Price was told he should be on his back and the outdoor clothes removed so he didn’t overheat.

The jury was then told how, in October 2013, Angela Price is said to have lied to a health visitor who called at the house, that her daughter and Baby Imran were away for a few days visiting a relative.

Mr Donnellan said it was being stressed to the child’s mother that she should regularly take her son to a local clinic so he could be weighed. It was advice, the court was told, that was ignored.

On December 16 2013 Baby Imran and his mother attended the Luton and Dunstable Hospital where they saw consultant, Dr Jean Egyepong.

The baby’s weight that day was recorded at 5.49 kilos and he was measured as being 62 centimetres long.

The prosecutor said “There had been a drop in progress. Progress hadn’t been as good as it should have been, his weight had gone up, but not as much as it should have.”

Baby Imran was also found to have a bad case of nappy rash, for which the mother had been using over the counter ointments.

As a result, the court heard Dr Egyepong wrote a letter to the mum’s GP and health visitor saying that she should see her doctor and be prescribed with a stronger medication for the nappy rash.

He also wrote that she should attend her local clinic where Baby Imran could be weighed.

Mr Donnellan said Jessica Price failed to go to her GP as instructed by the consultant and she failed to attend her local baby clinic for her child to be weighed and his weight monitored.

The court heard a health visitor went to the home on January 8 2014 and repeated that the mother should take her son to the GP as instructed by the consultant at the hospital.

“Jessica said she would do when she got time or perhaps get her mother to do it,” said Mr Donnellan.

On this occasion the baby’s weight was recorded as 5.6 kilos, representing a “very small increase.”

Again the mother was told she should take her child to the clinic to be weighed.

“She said she would, depending on how she was feeling,” said the prosecutor, who told the jury that both the GP’s surgery and the clinic were close to the home.

The jury then heard how, at 5.30pm on January 17 2014, the mother made a 999 call to the emergency services after finding her son lifeless and cold on a bed.

Paramedics arrived at the home and found rigor mortis had already set in and the baby was pronounced dead at 5.48pm.

Shortly afterwards them other is said to have told a police officer who arrived at the house how she had found her son lying cold on the bed and not moving.

She claimed he had not been feeling well and making “gasping” sounds as he fed from his bottle.

Mr Donnellan said “This was not a sudden unexplained cot death.”

He told the jury they would hear from experts who had concluded Baby Imran had died due to dehydration and not getting enough food and liquid.

He said the child would have shown signs that he was not taking or being fed enough, yet neither the mother or grandmother had taken him to his GP or sought help from the clinic or health visitors.

“Jessica Price didn’t take the child to the clinic to get his growth and weight monitored, which was important because he was failing to thrive” said Mr Donnellan.

He went on “She knew full well about turning to others for help.”

The prosecutor said the evidence in the case would show both mother and grandmother chose not to follow the advice given and deliberately avoided the advice from health visitors.

The court then heard how, after his death, Baby Imran was found to weigh 4.64 kilos.

“So he had lost 17 per cent of his body weight since Jan 8 when his weight was last recorded,” said Mr Donnellan.

He said experts had concluded that a substantial cause of the baby’s death had been “dehydration on top of a failure to thrive.”

Continuing, he told the jury “In short, not getting enough food and not getting enough fluid.”

It was the prosecution’s case that the baby had suffered neglect.

“Weight loss of such a significant amount over such a short time is life threatening. If a baby loses 10 per cent it’s body weight, it puts it in severe danger. Severe weight loss like this cannot be overlooked by a carer or a parent,” he said.

The loss of weight couldn’t have happened overnight, said Mr Donnellan, who said it would have taken place over four or five days.

“It would have been obvious to anyone who was caring for him and had responsibility for him that he was not growing or putting on weight but losing weight,” he said.

By the time Baby Imran, died, said the prosecutor, he had still not been taken to the GP for his nappy rash or the clinic to be weighed.

“Nor was he taken to hospital when he failed to thrive” he said.

Mr Donnellan said Baby Imran’s death had been “avoidable” and he said the case was about “omissions and failures to act.”

He told the jury “If you don’t give a baby sufficient food and drink, it will not survive, it will die.”

In the witness box Dr Jean Egyepong, a consultant at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, told the jury how on December 16 2013 he saw the mum and Baby Imran.

He said the child was being fed a “non-cow’s milk” formula feed.

Dr Egyepong said the mother was concerned about her son’s nappy rash and had been treating it with over the counter medications.

He said he wanted her to visit her GP, who could examine the rash and prescribe something more effective.

The doctor said when the child’s weight was recorded that day, it had increased, but he said “He was not gaining adequate weight.”

He said he discussed with her whether the baby was getting enough calories and it was decided to start adding some food to his diet, which he said would be another source of energy and help the baby to grow.”

Asked what food should be given to the child, he said baby rice or cereal.

He said he also spoke to her about changing the feed he was on to a different formula feed.

Cross examined by Andrew Jefferies QC for Jessica Price, Doctor Egyepong agreed that it was possible for a parent to miss their baby failing to thrive because it could still be getting longer and bigger.

Asked if the baby had ever been tested for malabsorbtion, which is an inability for the body to absorb what it needs, the doctor replied “No, there was no reason to do that.”

He said the child had not exhibited symptoms associated with malabsorbtion, such as diarrhoea, a bloated tummy, sleeping more and generally looking unwell.

Dr Egyepong also agreed that the changing of the formula feed Baby Imran was already on to another formula feed would not have provided any more calories.

He said the extra calories would have come by weaning the child onto solid foods, such as rusks.

“The best thing is to go onto foods providing energy, which will allow him to put on weight. Food with calories will put on weight” he told the jury.