A newborn dies from exposure to heroin and cocaine by its mother.

It was a tragic day when baby Phoebe was found unresponsive at her home on Meaford Drive. The paramedics were called to the Blurton residence in Staffordshire, where they discovered the 10-week-old baby in cardiac arrest. Despite being rushed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Phoebe sadly passed away a few days later.

An investigation revealed that Phoebe's mother, Rachel Bourne, was addicted to drugs at the time of her daughter's death. The court heard that Bourne, 34, had been using heroin and cocaine, which ultimately led to Phoebe's cardiac arrest. She was sentenced to 31 months in prison for child cruelty.

According to prosecutor Chloe Ashley, Phoebe had been exposed to the harmful substances before her untimely death. It was suspected that she may have come into contact with surfaces containing drug residue or inhaled second-hand smoke from her mother's drug use. Traces of cannabis were also found in Phoebe's hair, likely from a transfer of sweat from someone who had been using the drug.

Bourne's lawyer, Paul Cliff, shared that his client had been drug-free and in recovery for a year now. However, at the time of Phoebe's death, Bourne was spending £120 each week on her addiction. Her partner and Phoebe's father, John Douglas, also struggled with drug use and would be sentenced for the same offence the following day.

The defense stated that Bourne had no previous convictions before this incident and had been in custody since November the previous year. Mr. Cliff explained that Bourne's life spiraled out of control after her daughter's death, and it was not until 2021 that she was convicted.

In his ruling, Judge Graeme Smith acknowledged the two tragedies that occurred in this case - the loss of baby Phoebe and the destruction of Bourne's life due to drugs. He emphasized the devastating impact of drug addiction, which had caused Bourne to neglect her own well-being, her family, and her job.

While there was no evidence that Bourne had directly given drugs to her child, the judge stated that her drug use had put Phoebe at risk of exposure through smoke or contact with contaminated surfaces. He sentenced Bourne to jail, highlighting the dangers of drug use and its repercussions.

Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. In 2023, a one-year-old child in Staten Island, New York, was also found dead after ingesting cocaine and fentanyl. It serves as a reminder of the tragic consequences of drug addiction, and how it can affect not only the user but also those around them.

[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]