A couple have been sentenced after doctors discovered traces of cocaine in a 12-week-old baby who was in their care. Kevin Fields, 29, was handed two years behind bars and Ella Jones, 28, was given a suspended two-year sentence after pleading guilty to causing the ill treatment or neglect of a child.
During a trial at Chester Crown Court, it was heard how police were called by a paediatrician who raised concerns over the welfare of the baby, who was found unconscious when admitted into A&E on May 27, 2025. Staff at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire noticed the couple appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and seemed unconcerned over the child's condition.
Couple left hospital early
When the child was rushed through to a ward, Fields and Jones left the hospital - and told nurses they would “probably be asleep" if anyone tried to contact them in an emergency. A toxicology test turned up traces cocaine in the infant's system, which is believed to have been the cause of the baby becoming unresponsive, the court heard.
Fields and Jones were arrested on June 3, and both admitted in police interviews to taking cocaine in the presence of the baby. They also told police that the child had suffered a similar medical episode just a few days before, but that they did not take them to hospital as they later regained consciousness.
Drug order found on phone
A search of Fields' phone found that he had ordered cocaine from a drug dealer the day before the baby's second collapse. Both went on to plead guilty, and were sentenced last Tuesday. Jones avoided jail with her two-year suspended sentence, and was handed 25 rehabilitation activity days, a 12-month mental health treatment requirement order, and 150 unpaid work hours. Fields was sentenced to two years in prison.
After the sentencing, Cheshire Police's Sergeant Ann Muldowney said: "Class A drugs like cocaine can have seriously damaging health effects in adults, so it is a miracle that Fields and Jones’ utterly deplorable and reckless actions didn’t result in a fatality when a child came to ingest the substance." She added: "These two squandered the great responsibility that comes with looking after a child, taking no consideration for the needs of someone who has been in the world for only three months and cannot yet look after themselves and needs round-the-clock care and attention."
Sergeant Muldowney urged anyone with concerns about child neglect or abuse to contact Cheshire Police via the website or on 101.
