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Baby Died Amidst Parental Neglect and Drug Exposure
15 Apr
Summary
- Baby Phoebe-Rose died after exposure to heroin and cocaine.
- Nurses noted the baby was unkempt, smelly, and had dirty fingernails.
- Parents admitted child cruelty; mother jailed, father received suspended sentence.
A 10-week-old infant, Phoebe-Rose Douglas, died in October 2019 following exposure to cocaine, heroin, and cannabis. She was found unresponsive on October 25, 2019, at an address on Meaford Drive, Blurton, and transported to Royal Stoke University Hospital. Nurses observed that the baby was unkempt, smelly, and had dirt under her fingernails and in her armpits.
An inquest revealed that Phoebe-Rose's parents were both drug users, and social services had received multiple referrals prior to her birth due to concerns about their living conditions. The infant missed routine immunizations and a developmental check. She was resuscitated after being found unresponsive but suffered severe brain damage due to oxygen deprivation and died on October 29, 2019, after life support was withdrawn.
In 2024, both parents, Rachel Bourne and John Douglas, admitted child cruelty at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Bourne was sentenced to 31 months imprisonment, while Douglas received a 10-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years. The inquest is ongoing.
