A 'reckless' couple have been sentenced after their 12-week-old baby nearly died from ingesting cocaine. Ella Jones, 28, and Kevin Fields, 29, rushed the unconscious newborn to A&E at Leighton Hospital in Crewe on May 27 last year.
Hospital concerns and cocaine discovery
Staff believed the pair were under the influence of drugs and had serious concerns about the child's condition. After the baby was admitted to a ward, both parents immediately left the hospital, telling nurses they would 'probably be asleep' if anyone tried to contact them in an emergency.
Toxicology results later confirmed cocaine in the baby's system, which doctors believed was the probable cause of the infant becoming unresponsive. The child had suffered a similar episode three days earlier but the parents did not seek medical help.
Arrest and court proceedings
Police arrested Jones and Fields on June 3. In interviews, they admitted taking cocaine in the presence of the baby and that the infant had suffered a medical episode days before the hospital visit. They could not explain how the cocaine entered the baby's system, but a review of Fields' phone showed he had arranged for a quantity of cocaine to be delivered the day before the baby's second collapse.
Both pleaded guilty to causing ill treatment/neglect to a child at Chester Crown Court on July 22. Fields, of Mill Street, Crewe, received two years imprisonment. Jones, of Hesketh Drive, Northwich, received two years imprisonment suspended for two years, along with 25 rehabilitation activity days, a 12-month mental health treatment requirement, and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Police response
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.'
'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.'
She urged anyone with concerns about child neglect or abuse to contact Cheshire Police via their website or on 101.
