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Father attacks cot firm's 'apology' for blaming baby's death on sister Father attacks cot firm's 'apology' for blaming baby's death on sister
(35 minutes later)
A father has condemned the manufacturers of a cot in which his baby daughter died over its “so-called apology” for trying to implicate his other daughter in the death. The father of a seven-week-old baby girl, who died when she managed to get her head over the half-lowered side of a co-sleeper cot, has criticised the manufacturer over its “so-called apology” for trying to implicate his other toddler daughter in the death.
Seven-week-old Grace Roseman died when she got her head over a half-lowered side of a Bednest crib at her home in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Grace Roseman was found dead from positional asphyxia in the Bednest crib at home in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, after being unable to lift her head off the side of the cot.
She was unable to lift her head off again and died of positional asphyxia on 9 April 2015. At an inquest last month, the West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield criticised Bednest for its lack of compassion. At an inquest last month, West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield criticised Bednest for its “lack of compassion” following unfounded allegations by its lawyers that Grace’s sister, Pearl, who was two-and-a-half, could somehow have been responsible for the death on 9 April 2015.
Her comments followed unfounded allegations by lawyers for Bednest that Grace’s sister Pearl, who was aged two-and-a-half at the time, could have been responsible for her sister’s death. Bednest managing director, Mark Green, later reportedly apologised for the suggestion, and offered an unreserved apology to the Roseman family. But the girls’ father, Gideon Rosemen, said the first he and his wife Esther had learned about it was via press reports.
Bednest’s managing director, Mark Green, was later reported to have offered an unreserved apology to the Roseman family for the suggestion. In a statement he said: “Considering the indescribable anguish Bednest caused our family leading up to and during the inquest with this appalling allegation we are astounded and insulted to read about a so-called apology in this way. We have never received any personal communication – letter, email or phone call – from the company nor Mark Green apologising for the hell they’ve put us all through.”
Grace and Pearl’s father, Gideon Roseman, said the first he and his wife Esther had heard about Green’s intervention was via press reports. The coroner issued a regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, concerning the cot.
He said in a statement: “Considering the indescribable anguish Bednest caused our family leading up to and during the inquest into Grace’s death with this appalling allegation, we are astounded and insulted to read about a so-called apology in this way. The inquest heard the family had been given the secondhand cot by relatives with no instructions. When Grace died the cot was in a tilted position of 8cm, with the maximum tilt recommended by the manufacturers being 5cm. However, this information was in paper instructions and not on the cot itself.
“We have never received any personal communication – letter, email or phone call – from the company nor Mark Green apologising for the hell they’ve put us all through.” The cot had panels on either side, one of which could be folded down leaving about 7cm of panel with a narrow hard edge. Grace was found by her mother, with the child lying with her head over the edge of the crib and her neck resting on the low plastic edge. It appeared she had managed to get her head over the edge of the side of the crib, and due to the weight of her head she was prevented from returning it and moving clear, the inquest heard.
The family’s lawyer, Jill Greenfield, said: “To issue such a statement to the press rather than to the family in person is disgraceful. The coroner outlined concerns that the manufacturer’s website clearly showed pictures of babies in these cots with the side in the incompletely lowered position. She noted the manufacturers instruction not to tilt the cot more than 5cm, and not to leave babies unattended unless both sides were up and secure, were not displayed on the cot itself.
“Yet again, the company is blaming its own experts for the allegations rather than taking personal responsibility for the course of action it chose to take following Grace’s tragic death. Modifications have been made to the design of the Bednest cots with half-folding sides since the tragic death, and a modification kit is available to those who have older models. But, the coroner, noted, there are a large number of secondhand cots being marketed for sale.
“Perhaps more importantly, Bednest’s so-called ‘unreserved apology’ still does not acknowledge that it was the design of its cot that killed Grace Roseman, something that was made very clear in the inquest. The Bednest website states that since 2009, “more than 25,000 parents have discovered the benefits of sleeping close to their baby with the Bednest without the worry of the risks associated with sleeping in the same bed”.
“By refusing to accept responsibility, Bednest continues to heap terrible pain onto the Rosemans.” The inquest heard that while Bednest had since made efforts to contact existing owners to issue a modification kit to prevent the sides from being left in the half-lowered position, it had been unable to reach 3,300 people.
Bednest was unavailable for immediate comment. The Roseman family’s lawyer, Jill Greenfield, of Fieldfisher, said of the apology: “To issue such a statement to the press rather than to the family in person is disgraceful. Yet again, the company is blaming its own experts for the allegations rather than taking personal responsibility for the course of action it chose to take following Grace’s tragic death.
At the inquest, Schofield said the manufacturer as well as the Furniture Industry Research Association, which approved the product, had failed to foresee the risk. “Perhaps more importantly, Bednest’s so-called ‘unreserved apology’ still does not acknowledge that it was the design of its cot that killed Grace Roseman, something that was made very clear at the inquest. By refusing to accept responsibility, Bednest continues to heap terrible pain onto the Rosemans.”
She also said she was concerned that Bednest did not fully appreciate the ongoing risks of the existing unmodified cots, which are still being used. There was no immediate comment from Bednest.
Schofield originally issued a Regulation 28 report concerning the Bednest cot after the death, and she said she would be issuing an updated version with her findings from the inquest with the aim of preventing future deaths.
Bednest, which used to sell the cot jointly with the National Childbirth Trust, has since modified the design to prevent the sides being kept in the half-lowered position.
The inquest heard Bednest had since made efforts to contact the owners of existing cots to issue a modification kit , but that it had been unable to reach 3,300 people.