The boy said he wanted to make his
siblings 'nice and clean' after their mother passed out having drunk four cans
of super-strength lager.
The shocking sequence of events emerged in court when the
mother - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - was given a one-year
suspended prison sentence for neglect.
She had sought refuge at a Merseyside home with her children
after escaping a relationship of domestic violence, Liverpool Crown Court heard
Thursday. The jury heard she slept in a single bed with her eldest son, with
the newborn babies cradled together in a drawer.
The mother, an insomniac, fell asleep
in the afternoon after drinking four cans of Special Brew, which is nine per
cent alcohol.
The toddler woke up and ran a 10-inch bath of cold water.
The mother found her infant children naked and unconscious, not breathing, when she awoke.
Judge Mrs Justice Cox said:
The toddler woke up and ran a 10-inch bath of cold water.
The mother found her infant children naked and unconscious, not breathing, when she awoke.
Judge Mrs Justice Cox said:
'The drink certainly played a part in
you going to sleep and failing to wake up when the toddler woke up and got out
of bed. While you slept the toddler decided to make the twins nice and clean
and he put them in the bath.When he woke you up you found both of your babies
floating in the bath water. They were cold, naked and they weren’t breathing.'
The mother called police and
paramedics, telling a 999 operator that she had found her newborn twins
unresponsive.
Both babies were given CPR and were taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in West Derby, Liverpool, where they were put on life support. Days later, one of the boys died in his father's arms. His brother, who suffered a cardiac arrest, was left with severe brain damage.
The court heard he is likely to be severely affected by cerebral palsy and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
David McLaughlin, defending, said the mother will be haunted by what happened forever.
Both babies were given CPR and were taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in West Derby, Liverpool, where they were put on life support. Days later, one of the boys died in his father's arms. His brother, who suffered a cardiac arrest, was left with severe brain damage.
The court heard he is likely to be severely affected by cerebral palsy and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
David McLaughlin, defending, said the mother will be haunted by what happened forever.
He said: 'She bears full responsibility
– not a day goes by when she doesn’t think about what happened. Every morning she
wakes up with a vision of her babies’ faces in the bath, a vision that will
haunt her forever-more. She wants it to be known that she holds herself fully
responsible for what occurred and she wants her toddler son to know, if ever
that time should arise when he is older, that through her plea of guilty she
accepts full responsibility for what occurred and no blame should be laid
against him.'
She
was handed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and a
supervision order after pleading guilty to three counts of neglect.
Culled from Daily Mail UK
Culled from Daily Mail UK
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