A mother has been jailed for causing unnecessary suffering by neglect to her seven-week-old baby boy who died in Stoke-on-Trent in 2019.

Kayleigh Sarah Denise Clarke, 33, was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment on Friday 24 March.

She was found guilty of two counts of assault, ill-treatment, abandoning a child, causing unnecessary suffering or injury following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in October 2022.

Michael Melvyn Higginson, 53, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, was sentenced to 15 months suspended sentence after he was found guilty of one count of the same crimes.

Kayleigh Sarah Denise Clarke was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday 24 March (Nub News).

Police were called to a report of a child in cardiac arrest at an address on Derwent Street, Cobridge, on Tuesday 28 November 2019.

Seven-week-old Ronnie Higginson was taken to hospital where he sadly died.

From about Friday 22 or Saturday 23 November 2019, Ronnie had been noticeably unwell. He was snuffly, congested, off his food and struggling to breath.

Police were called to Derwent Street, Cobridge, in November 2019 (Google).

The court heard that despite being clearly unwell and despite being advised by a number of people that Ronnie should see a doctor, neither defendant sought any form of medical attention for him.

While the defendants did not cause his death, the court heard that this failure was likely to cause Ronnie unnecessary suffering or injury to health.

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