This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18250959#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Poison plant food mother Lauren Booth sentenced over son's death | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A mother whose two-year-old son died "a prolonged and horrible death" after drinking poisonous plant food has been given a suspended sentence. | A mother whose two-year-old son died "a prolonged and horrible death" after drinking poisonous plant food has been given a suspended sentence. |
Lauren Booth, 24, was asleep when her son Aaron drank the toxic liquid which Bradford Crown Court heard had probably been used for growing cannabis. | |
Aaron had not been fed and was probably hungry and thirsty, the court was told. | |
Booth, from Huddersfield, was given a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years, for neglect. | |
She was made the subject of a two-year supervision order. | |
The 24-year-old will also have to prove she is an adequate parent, the court ordered. | |
Sentencing Booth, Judge Colin Burn said: "Aaron's death was, on the evidence, a prolonged and frankly horrible one. And it was preventable." | |
The court heard it was thought the child mistook the blue plant food bottle for a soft drink. | |
Aaron died 11 days after drinking the liquid. his windpipe had disintegrated and he had severe burns to his lips, tongue, stomach and pancreas, the court heard. | |
Booth's partner at the time had taken the pH Up brand plant food into the house in Norris Close, Judge Burn said. | |
The blue bottle contained a highly toxic concentration of potassium hydroxide, or caustic potash, and two teaspoons of it would have been a fatal dose. | |
Loud thud | |
Information about growing cannabis was discovered in a notebook and laptop seized from the house by police. | |
The judge told Booth: "The evidence that this liquid was used for growing cannabis was strong. | |
"You should not even have allowed the liquid to be brought into the same house as Aaron." | |
Booth and her partner were awoken by a loud thud at about 12:40 GMT on 6 November 2010, to find Aaron lying down with a brown mouth and lips. | |
The judge said Booth was a loving mother to Aaron and tried her best to look after him but made some poor judgements. | |
He said: "Most parents do, from time to time, make some poor judgements in respect of their children. The unfortunate aspect of this case is on 6 November your poor judgement had fatal consequences." |